Never Really Gone
by ForceToBeReckoned
Summary: Picks up on Crait right as Kylo Ren and Rey have their last force connection before the Falcon ramp door closes, then and continues from there. Slow Burn Reylo with the push/pull on if Rey will join Kylo after all. Please note: this story contains mature content and possible triggers.
1. Chapter 1- Escape from Crait

**Chapter 1 - Escape from Crait**

One by one members of the Resistance run onto the Falcon. Rey is at the top of the ramp of the Millenium Falcon waiting for everyone to come on board in order to close the ramp and then leave Crait as soon as possible. _Is this what is left of the Resistance? There is so few of us now._ She is lost in her thoughts as she ushers the last of the Resistance Members on board. She turns to push the button to close the ramp when she feels the hum of her Force Connection with Kylo Ren open up and she can see him kneeling in what looks like an old control room.

 _Ben._

Kylo is kneeling on the ground of the abandoned control room. He clenches his fist with the dice before she can see what them. _Rey._

They stare at each other for a second before Kylo speaks thru their bond without actually saying a word, "Rey, you will be hunted with the Resistance if you leave now. You will only be safe if you join me." For a moment she just stands there with her hand near the button to close the Falcon. She hesitates. _What if I join him-will I be safer? Will I be able to turn him back to the light if I go now?_

Kylo watches her as she looks at the button and back to him. _Why does she fight her destiny like this?_

"Goodbye Ben" Rey says as she pushes the button and the ramp to the Falcon starts to rise. She doesn't take her eyes from his until the ramp closes shut and effectively closes the force connection as well.

Kylo lets go of a breath he didn't even know he had held. He opens his palm and watches as the gold dice from the Falcon, his Father's good luck charm, fade from his palm. He feels a pang of jealousy as he realizes Rey is flying his Father's ship, with his Mother on board as well. _She will come to me. It is her destiny to join me._

Rey doesn't feel peace with the connection closed between her and Kylo. _I'm alone again. But he is not going to give up._ She shakes her head and heads to the cockpit to help Chewbacca get the Falcon off Crait. _I cannot go to Kylo. He kidnapped me, he tortured Poe, he killed Han, and he nearly killed Finn. No. He doesn't care about anyone but himself, more power, and leading the First Order._

She sits down and begins punching in coordinates as Chewy works on pre-flight checks. They work together as if they had done so for years. "Maybe their tracking system will be down after the _Finalizer_ was destroyed?" Rey asks Chewy.

"Let's hope that is the case. This ship has a few tricks up its sleeve, but we still need to be cautious" Leia says with a smile. She had entered the cockpit so quietly during pre-flight checks that Rey didn't hear her come in. Chewy roars in agreement.

"Rey", Leia says, "let's set a course for Bespin, we have an old friend who lives in Cloud City who may be able to help us with fuel and supplies before we find a new Base. We only have one shot at this before the First Order regroups and possibly tracks us again. It's now or never".

Chewy growls his approval and Rey nods once in understanding. Chewy and Rey prep the Falcon with the calculations and coordinates to jump to lightspeed.

Kylo Ren stands up and considers the moment with Rey. _Why does she have to be so difficult? She has no idea what she has rejected. The protection I could provide her…_

"Sir, we have found Snoke's shuttle abandoned in the mountains behind the base. It appears the Resistance has boarded the Millenium Falcon and are beginning their escape as we speak. They will likely be jumping to light speed within minutes." Hux says from the middle of the main cavern.

"Are we still able to track them thru light speed?" Kylo asks as they walk out of the Base and towards the shuttles.

"The Analysts and Technicians are currently working on the Finalizer II and have advised that they should have it operational shortly. There is no word on if it will be ready in time to track the Resistance now" says Hux nervously.

Kylo stopped mid-step and turned to face Hux. His eyes are blazing as he is holding back from force choking Hux and every Trooper in the Base. "I am holding you fully responsible for the repair of the tracker, _General_. Ensure it gets done or you will pay dearly for your team's failure".

"Yes, Supreme Leader", Hux nervously responds.

The shuttles lands in the Finalizer II and Kylo immediately exits and doesn't wait for Hux or the remaining Troopers to follow. This is the first time he is on board the ship as the new Supreme Leader, so he heads to the bridge for a status update regardless of Hux being there or not. _They better have that tracker working… I will not wait in the Throne Room for updates in my nightgown like the previous leader that's for sure._

As Kylo enters the Bridge the technicians rise from their workstations to acknowledge his entry. He gives them the at-ease and they return to work. He approaches Lieutenant Mitaka, who is standing at the front of the Bridge reading a data pad. Kylo briefly remembers speaking with him when they were hunting BB-8 and Rey once they escaped Jakku with that Traitor. _I should probably be a little nicer to him this time…_ remembering the brief choking incident following his lightsaber attack to the walls of the ship.

"Lieutenant, what is the status of the tracker? Will we be able to track the Millenium Falcon thru lightspeed?" he asks quietly so the others cannot overhear the conversation.

"Yes, sir, we have confirmation the tracker is operational and has the coordinates of the ship that left Crait. It appears they are headed towards for Bespin" Mitaka responds nervously.

"Very good Lieutenant. Please keep me updated personally on all status updates of the tracker and the Resistance whereabouts before you report to Hux. That is an order."

"Yes, Sir Supreme Leader", Mitaka replies.

 _Now at least I can rely on someone besides Hux to get this information to me._

Kylo stands on the Bridge momentarily before he decides he is will go to his chambers to get cleaned up after the Throne room battle and the "duel" with Luke Crait. _I still cannot believe I fell for that ridiculous Jedi trick_ he thinks to himself as he begins to change.

Rey and Chewie engage lightspeed and finally feel like they can breathe some relief as they fly towards Bespin. Rey excuses herself to take a quick break for Caf while Chewie takes over controls. It's going to be at least a few hours before they make it to their destination pending no interruptions from the First Order. As she walks out of the cockpit, she is nearly knocked to the ground by Poe who catches her just in time. "I'm sorry Rey. I didn't see you there" says Poe as he steadies her. Rey notices that his hand lingers on her arm while he speaks.

"It's okay Poe. I didn't see you either. Thanks" Rey replies as she removes her arm from his, but he doesn't move from in front of her. "Excuse me, I am going to get something to drink".

"Oh, that sounds great actually. I will walk with you", Poe responds as he places his hand on the small of her back and leads her to the small kitchenette area of the Falcon. Poe fills two mugs with Caf and hands one to Rey.

"Thanks" she responds as she slowly sips her own Caf.

"Rey, I just wanted to say that it was really brave for you to rescue us all back on Crait. I am here to help if you need anything with the Falcon or if you need an extra co-pilot. I am pretty good Pilot myself."

"Thanks Poe. I am grateful for the offer. Chewie and I can handle the Falcon. I appreciate the information though". Rey starts towards the cockpit but is blocked by Poe again.

"Look, I get it" he says while grabbing her free hand. "You obviously have a lot going on. I am here if you need someone to talk to or if you need a friend. These are tough times and friends are hard to come by." He stared into Rey's eyes as he bites his lower lip.

Rey realizes that Poe is meaning something more than just friends and she is now blocked between Poe and the Kitchenette. If this were Jakku she would have already defended herself with her staff and he would be on the ground. _Why do these men keep touching me? I do not need to be rescued._

"Thanks again Poe. I appreciate the offer to help with piloting the Falcon. I really will keep you in mind and let you know if I need you to step in to pilot occasionally. We may want to confirm Leia is okay with extra pilots as this is also her ship. I agree and appreciate having you and Finn both as my _friends_ ", Rey says hoping he took the hint and will let her pass. However, Poe pulls Rey in for a hug instead.

She thinks about pushing him away but realizes she is so tired from fighting Luke, then Snoke and the guards, and then the entire First Order that she allows the hug for once. _It's nice to be comforted by someone who isn't trying to kill me for a change. I feel so foolish for thinking Ben would return with me…_

Confusion washes over Rey and she decides the hug has gone on for long enough. "Thanks again Poe" She says as she pats him on the back to signal the hug is over for her.

Luckily, he gets the hint and pulls away. "Remember my offer. If you need _anything,_ I am here for you" Poe says with a smile before he leaves the Kitchenette to rejoin Finn and the others.

 _I spent so many years aching for physical contact from my missing parents or to find a companion…now I have 1 man grab my hand several times despite my protests, one ask that I join him and lead the First Order, and now one offer me to help me with_ anything _including piloting a ship I am more than capable of piloting. Geez._

She was lost in thought of how little these people knew of her when she realizes someone is watching her… _Ben._

They lock eyes and she is frightened at how quiet and angry he looks. _How long has he been watching me?_

Kylo Ren is standing yet leaning against the wall just off the side of the Kitchenette, his arms are crossed, his eyes are narrowed accusingly at Rey as if he caught her committing a crime.

 _Kriff. I didn't even feel the force connection open up…_

"I'm disappointed Scavenger. I thought you would have at least waited a few days before moving on after rejecting me. I guess you want that _'pilot'_ more than you wanted to join me".

Kylo recalls the force bond opening almost instantly as he entered his room and began to prepare for meditation. He watched as that sad excuse for a Pilot embraced Rey and made his advances. She appeared to be annoyed with it - at least at first. Then she seemed to enjoy the Pilot's touch, which just made Kylo angrier. The Pilot left and Kylo stood there watching Rey, drinking her Caf, in his Father's ship. If he had only broken the connection rather than staring at her then he could at least let out his anger on some poor training droid.

Rey has had enough. She sets down her mug of Caf a little too hard splashing the cooling liquid onto the table. "I do not need to be rescued. Who I hug or talk to is none of your business. You don't care about me and you are not welcome here". She attempts to shut the bond but is unsuccessful.

Kylo can feel her attempting to close their bond but failing. _Now or never. She needs to come to me, but she needs to make this decision. I will not kidnap her again._

"Rey, I felt you thinking of me while you were hugging him. You were thinking of when we touched hands on Ach-To. If you had joined me then you wouldn't have a doubt on who cared about you. You would be stronger. You wouldn't need to run away because nobody would be hunting you anymore" Kylo says smugly while standing so close to her she can see the black in his eyes.

Rey considers what he says for a moment before replying, "don't you dare pretend like you wanted me to join you other than for more power. You don't care about my wellbeing or my safety. You want the 'Last Jedi' to be destroyed and you wanted me to come to the dark side for the power. Nothing more."

Kylo stares at her as he slowly reaches up to caress her face. She freezes under his touch, which is surprisingly gentle and matches his tone. "You weren't listening before. I never said you would be joining the dark side with me. I wanted to start a new order-"

"Yes, a new order to rule the galaxy" Rey interrupts him and pushes his hand away. "I don't want to rule the galaxy or rule anything for that matter. You forget that I didn't ask for any of this. I waited for years on Jakku for a family that never came. I didn't have a choice to come on this adventure and now that I am here, I finally have friends and people in my life that don't want to kidnap, torture, and/or kill me. I will not throw that away to join someone on a path that I don't agree with. I will not throw that away for someone who doesn't care about me and only cares about power and ruling the galaxy."

Kylo stares at Rey in disbelief at her accusation. _She doesn't know._ "I cared enough about you to go against my master's orders to kill you and I killed him instead. I cared enough that I fought alongside you against the Red Guards and almost died in the process. You saved my life also – so you care. I protected you. I could have let them torture and then kill you before murdering the rest of the Resistance on Crait. I also care enough to try and explain my actions right now after what I just witnessed between you and that Pilot. Think about all of this before you accuse me of not caring about you or anything other than power".

Kylo's fists are shaking and he is staring at Rey with darkened eyes waiting for her to respond or yell back. Instead, she lets out a breath that they both didn't realize she was holding. "Why would you care about me. I'm nobody. Remember? You said so yourself.", she whispers.

"I already told you that you are not nobody to me" Kylo says gently not looking away from Rey. He leans down and cups her face in his hands. She feels her breath catch as it seems he is going to kiss her right there thru the Force Connection. He stops just short of her lips and pulls away. "I need to know. Will you join me or stay with your _friends?_ "

Rey considers his question carefully. She looks away from Kylo to her Caf, which is now cold, and cannot bring herself to answer his questions. It is too much emotion from the day's events and she is afraid of what she wants to say in that moment. She looks at him apologetically and finally brings herself to respond, "I need time to think this thru".

"I'm growing tired of games", Kylo says quickly as he turns away from Rey. "You have two standard cycles to make your decision. I cannot make you choose this path. You need to choose it willingly. Keep in mind – and this is not a threat – I cannot spare the Resistance for much longer just because you are with them. You either join me or die with the Resistance. You obviously know how to reach me if you make your decision before the deadline".

Kylo ends the force bond before she can provide any sort of argument. _I want her. She will be mine._ He thinks to himself as he begins to prepare for meditation. _Two standard cycles cannot come and go soon enough._

Back on the Falcon, Rey is cleaning up her Caf spill from earlier before returning to the cockpit. _Why does this bond have to open at all the wrong times? First, his shirt is off and now with Poe. Why would Kylo Ren care who I hug anyway? I don't belong to him. Kriff though it feels nice to be fought over…_

With a sigh, she walks back to the cockpit to take her place in the Pilot seat to try and focus on the flight to Bespin but all she can really think about is how close they were to kissing only moments earlier…


	2. Chapter 2- City in the Clouds

_AN: FYI This chapter contains mature content and adult language._

 **Chapter 2 - City in the Clouds**

The Millennium Falcon drops out of hyperspace above Bespin and Leia arranges for clearance to land at Lando Calrissian's private apartment. Lando has done well for himself in Cloud City and has been able to retire in a nice apartment and even larger covered hangar where he holds various ships he has collected over the years. The hangar is large enough for the Falcon to land and be covered where it cannot be seen by passing ships or spies flying recon missions for the First Order. Lando Calrissian is personally waiting to greet Leia and the Resistance in the hangar with medical transports and a few assistants to help start with refueling and repairing the Falcon. Members of the Resistance needing medical attention exit the Falcon first, followed by Leia, Poe, Finn, Connix, and the other leaders and members of the Resistance. Rey and Chewie exit last and begin discussing logistics and repairs needed for the Falcon with the Technicians. They ensure Chewie and Rey that the Falcon will be well taken care of and no major repairs will be done without their discretion first.

Lando greets Leia first with a hug while the others standby for introductions. "It is so good to see you again Lando. Thank you so much for letting us land here. I apologize that this may put you in hot water with the wrong people again", Leia says quietly to Lando.

"Leia, you are welcome to Cloud City anytime and you can stay as long as you want" Lando says as he kisses her hand graciously. "I was a bit worried that you may not make it here safely. The First Order has reported the destruction of the Resistance except for a few survivors that escaped from Crait. I'm afraid they are still searching for you all. In fact, the word is Kylo Ren is leading the search himself and has ordered for the capture of any Resistance members who are found to escaped from Crait, rather than an execution on sight".

The Resistance members look at one another briefly before Leia responds for the group. "Lando, we should have a meeting to discuss what happened on Crait and to also discuss next steps in the Resistance".

Lando nods in agreement. "I think introductions are in order as well" Leia says as she gestures to each of the members standing behind her. "Lando, this is Poe Dameron, Finn, Rey, and we also have Lieutenant Connix and Commander D'Acy". They all exchange handshakes or a nod before Leia continues speaking. "Are you able to provide us with a small meeting area while the injured are seen in the med bay?"

"Yes, of course. I have plenty of space here. I think a few may need to have a roommate but there shouldn't be too many issues. Let's walk inside and we can have some refreshments brought to the meeting room".

The group walks inside to a large marble foyer that breaks into three hallways going to the left, right, and straight ahead. Lando explains that the apartment is mostly a large circle with the dining area in the middle, the medical bay to the left, and rooms to the right. Most of the Resistance begin to walk towards the dining hall, while Rose and a few others are taken to the medical bay. Lando escorts Leia and the rest to a large conference room, which is immediately to the right of the foyer. Lando orders food and drinks to be brought to the conference room for their meeting.

Rey is the only one left in the Foyer staring at the large windows that have a never-ending view of the Clouds. _It's so beautiful_ _here._ As she turns to the right to enter the meeting room she stops suddenly when she senses a vibration. Thinking it's the apartment she moves to the window and feels the glass window. Nothing. Then suddenly she hears Ben in her mind, "Rey, remember our deal. You must make a choice soon. I grow tired of waiting for you. If you want your friends to live need to come to me. I cannot keep these cease fire orders for much longer." Ben pulls out of her mind as quickly as he entered. Rey cannot help but feel violated by this action from Ben. She is also equal parts impressed and afraid with how easily he can communicate with her thru her mind like that.

Rey begins walking towards the conference room and is thinking over what Ben just said. _What did he mean by a cease fire? I need to speak with Leia to figure this all out_. Rey sees Leia standing outside the large meeting room speaking with Commander D'Acy before they begin their meeting. D'Acy enters the room and Rey stops Leia before she enters. "General Organa, I need to speak with you in private prior to this meeting. I have felt something thru the Force. About Ben", she whispers so nobody else can hear her.

Leia stares at Rey before speaking, "Of course Rey". She turns and finds Lando in the large meeting room waiting for her to enter and start the meeting. "Lando, I need to speak with Rey in private before this meeting. Commander D'Acy and the others can catch you up in my absence. Do you have another room that we can use for a moment?"

Lando nods and gestures to the door across the hall from them. "That room should be more than adequate. Press the comm on the table if you would like any refreshments brought to you there as well".

"Thank you again" Leia says as she enters the room and sits down at the small table in the middle of the room. Rey enters and closes the door. She is too nervous to sit so she begins pacing back and forth between the window and door in front of the table where Leia is sitting.

"Rey, what is going on?" Leia asks gently.

"This is going to sound crazy, but Ben and I have a connection thru the force. We can communicate to each other thru this connection" Rey says without looking at Leia.

"How did this connection first open up?" Leia asks.

"I am not sure of an exact time. When I was on the Finalizer before Snoke was killed, he said he bridged the connection between mine and Ben's minds to manipulate me into trusting Ben. The issue is the connection is still open and we can still communicate even after Snoke's death. It seems to open between us at random or at the most inconvenient times. Sometimes we can physically see and touch each other and other times it's only verbal communication" Rey finishes with a flush in her cheeks.

"How many times has this connection opened up between you and Ben?" Leia asks while following Rey with her eyes.

"Several times with the first being when I was on Ach-to. The first time the connection opened I tried to shoot Ben because I thought he was standing right in front of me. The last time on Ach-to, Ben and I touched hands and I saw a vision of him coming back to the Light. I left Ach-to and went to Ben on the Finalizer after that vision" Rey pauses as she pauses in her pacing. Leia doesn't interrupt but watches her closely as she picks up the pacing again. "The connection also opened when I was on Crait when we were loading to Falcon for evacuation. It happened again once we were in hyperspace, and finally just now before I came to you. This last time was different though. He only spoke thru the connection like he was sending a message right to my brain. My theory is that when I am distracted or tired the connection is easier for either one of us to open and it's harder to close willingly, but it's just a theory I have" Rey says in a tired voice. "I am so sorry General. This could cause issues with my being with the Resistance. I don't want him to be able to find out our location because of this bridge between our minds" she adds to reassure the General.

"Rey, thank you for telling me" Leia says with a gentle pat on the arm. "We need to keep this information about the bridge between your minds a secret for now. I don't think the others will be as accepting if they find out you have an open channel straight to Kylo Ren's brain and he has one to yours".

Rey nods sadly and sits down in a chair across from the General. "I don't see the connection as an issue or even as something negative. I see it as an opportunity" Leia says with a smile.

"General, my apologies but I am not sure what you mean by opportunity" Rey says curiously.

"Before I answer that, why do you think Ben keeps opening the connection? There has to be a specific reason he wants the bond still open or he would be looking for a way to sever it completely" Leia says evenly.

"He probably just wants to torment me because I refused to join him in ruling the galaxy" Rey replies while rolling her eyes.

Leia looks surprised by this response which prompts Rey to explain what happened on the Finalizer. Rey explains how she was tortured by Snoke for the location of Luke. Snoke then orders Ben to kill Rey. He instead kills Snoke, which prompts the fight with the Praetorian guards. Rey explains how she pleads with Ben to call off the attack on the Resistance fleet heading towards Crait. Ben refuses stating he wants to start a new order and he asks Rey to join him in ruling. Rey refuses his proposal and when attempting to take back Anakin's light saber, they both reach for it at the same time with a force pull and the efforts of the pull cause the saber to break in half. Ben is knocked unconscious. Rey quickly grabs the broken saber parts and leaves on Snoke's shuttle to rejoin Chewie and the resistance on Crait.

Rey is breathless when she finishes her story and looks at the General for a response.

Leia is smiling with a renewed energy. "I asked you before why he was opening up this connection. You are correct he is tormenting you, but not in the way you think. He cares for you Rey" she says with a smile.

"I think you are mistaken General" Rey says quickly.

"No, I don't think so" Leia says gently. "Rey, Ben cares about you. He could have killed you, but he decided to save you even when he knew you could both die seconds later. He killed the very creature who turned him against his Uncle and his parents years ago. Snoke manipulated my son's mind for most of his life. Ben has only known you for a fraction of that time. Still, he decided to save you and himself by killing Snoke. Rey, I think we can end this war with your help" Leia replies warmly.

"How are you so sure General? I was wrong before and I nearly died from Snoke's torture and his red guards" Rey responds back to the smiling General.

"I may not have seen Ben in years, but he is still my son. He killed his Master to save you. Years ago, at the end of the Empire Darth Vader killed his master, Emperor Palpatine, as he was torturing and attempting to kill Vader's son, Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader was previously known as Anakin Skywalker. Ben has always had an appreciation for his Grandfather since he found out about the relationship. I know there is good in Ben and it appears he is already showing that good by saving you from Snoke, just as Vader saved Luke from Palpatine" Leia says confidently.

Rey is stunned. "Anakin Skywalker was Vader? That is your Father…" Rey is shocked at the realization that Vader is Ben's Grandfather. She overheard a few stories about the Empire when she was cleaning parts or while trading for food on Jakku. People talked about Vader on Jakku, but it was never mentioned that he was a Jedi or that he had twin children.

Sensing the questions Rey was building for Leia she holds up her hand to silence them before they begin. "That is a story for another time. The important thing we need to ask ourselves right now is what does Ben want? Do you think we could negotiate with him to end the war" Leia asks in a serious tone.

"Well, I know exactly what he wants", Rey says as she puts her head in her hands. "In our last connection he said I 'must choose to join him or the remaining Resistance members would be killed'. He said he cannot 'keep these cease fire orders for much longer'. Also, during our force connection on the Falcon he told me I have two days to choose. Either I join him or the Resistance dies. I am not sure what he means by a 'cease fire'. He hasn't exactly been speaking to me as if he cares about me. He always seems to be in a bad mood or even better his mood swings are unpredictable".

Leia nods as she responds "This must be what Lando was saying earlier. Ben is looking for you personally and ordered a capture on sight rather than a kill on sight for all Resistance Members. It makes sense because not all of the Storm Troopers would know what you look like and it reduces the risk of someone accidentally shooting you". Leia pauses before continuing "Rey, we have been talking a while and I think it is time we rejoin the others. This information needs to stay between us about Ben and your connection. You and I will plan to meet in the morning after we have both had some rest to discuss how we will negotiate with Ben to end the war. I may have a plan. Please keep me updated on any further meetings between you and Ben or if you hear anything on the First Order whereabouts".

"Thank you General", Rey says as she stands up and moves to the door.

Leia stop Rey and pulls her into a hug, "Rey, please call me Leia" she says to Rey with a smile.

Rey smiles back and they walk across the hall to the meeting in progress, which appears to have turned into a party. There are empty bottles on the table and drinks continue to be brought in by droids. Lando is the center of attention as he entertains his guests with a story on how he lost the Falcon to Han in a Sabacc card game. Poe is laughing with Finn as Rey joins them on a large deep blue velvet covered couch near the largest window she has ever seen, that has a view of the sunset in the clouds.

"It's a good thing that Han won that ship from you or else we would have been destroyed on Crait" says Poe with Finn nodding next to him. "I am still impressed with the way that ship was able to pull those Tie Fighters away from us on the ground. Oh, let's not forget Rey's shooting as well" he adds with a wink at Rey.

"Well, Chewie was the one doing all the flying on while I was shooting the Tie's. He deserves the credit on the flying portion for sure" Rey adds shyly trying to take the spotlight off herself. Chewie growls back appreciatively at Rey who smiles back at the Wookie.

Lando looks at Leia. "Just like old times eh? Well, I'm glad to hear the old girl still can get the jump on the First Order. I know Han always loved pissing off the Empire with his crazy stunts".

The group goes silent as they reminisce about Han briefly. "I am sorry to hear what happened to Han", Lando says to Leia putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Thank you", Leia says. "I know I speak for everyone when I say Han will be missed. I know in my heart that Han would have wanted us to keep moving forward until the fight is over so let's discuss our next steps. We will need to begin looking for a place to set up a new base of operations. The First Order is looking for us. Lando has given us the information that they are not executing on sight, which we can use to our advantage. Lando, if they can still track thru lightspeed they will be near Bespin within a few hours. We need to keep the Falcon covered and resupply the ship in case a fast getaway is warranted". Lando nods his approval immediately as Leia continues speaking. "I am opening the floor to ideas for locations of a new resistance base. We need somewhere that is not tied to the rebellion days and we need to do a quick evaluation on that planet to ensure it doesn't have a First Order presence. What ideas do you all have?"

Ideas are tossed out one by one. Lieutenant Connix collects a list on her data pad to research the areas mentioned after the meeting. Everyone is quiet after a few minutes and Rey offers an idea that she knows one person will hate, "What about Jakku?"

Finn is the first to respond, "Hell no. That junkyard again? Rey, you cannot be serious? Why do you want to go back there? Literally anywhere else would be better than Jakku in my opinion".

"Finn, I understand you hate Jakku. But I have a feeling it might be the last place the First Order will check" Rey says confidently. "Kylo Ren would not expect me to return there. I can confirm that the First Order was not occupying Jakku when I was there. We never heard from the First Order until you and BB8 began running around in the Outpost" she adds. Poe smiles at Rey as Finn rolls his eyes.

"Connix add Jakku to the list" says Leia without looking at Finn or Rey. "I think that is enough for today. We can meet again tomorrow afternoon to discuss the research that is completed on these planets. In the morning, I want Finn and Poe to help with supplies being loaded in the Falcon, while Chewie checks on maintenance. Connix and D'Acy will finish with the report on the list we have gathered. Now, I want everyone to get some food, showers, and rest" she adds before standing up from the table.

Everyone is happy for the meeting to end as they go different directions down the hallway. Lando, Chewie, and Leia are speaking in low voices to the right of the meeting room heading towards their rooms for the evening. Finn mentions he will meet them later in the dining hall, so he can check on Rose in medical bay. D'Acy walks with Finn to check on the remaining injured. As Poe and Connix walk down the hall, Rey begins to walk slower behind the tipsy pair as she realizes they are flirting with each other on the way to dinner. She waits for them to continue walking down the hallway a few more steps before heading off in the opposite direction to find her room in the large apartment in the sky.

After a few minutes of wandering down the hallway, Rey locates her quarters. When she gets inside, she realizes she is lucky to have received her own room and briefly wonders to herself if Leia had something to do with this arrangement. Rey is not an officer and has not been with the Resistance that long to deserve her own room. However, she is grateful for the privacy. There is a small bed that is made up with plush velvet and silk blanket. She notices a small blue armchair and a small side table with a bowl of fruit, some of which she recognizes from her brief visit on Takodano. She happily eats a few pieces of fruit to curb some of her hunger while she gets cleaned up. _I'd rather feel hungry than witness the flirting session between Poe and Connix when they are obviously intoxicated. Besides this isn't the hungriest I have ever felt in my life._

She moves to the bed and sees a stack of clothing, which she hopes will fit her without too many alterations. She is relieved to know she can shower and put on fresh clothes rather than the damaged and dirty clothes she is wearing from the day on the Finalizer and on Crait. She takes a minute to appreciate the colors and fabric of the clothing are much more vibrant and richer than her normal cream and white cotton clothing items she would typically wear on Jakku.

She takes her time in the shower making sure to scrub all the salt, dirt, and dried blood from her body. She realizes she will need to visit the med bay for bandages for her arm where the Praetorian Guard's blade sliced her, which she decides to do after getting dinner. After drying off and getting dressed she sets to putting her hair back in her signature three buns, but after a few minutes she resolves to a simple pony tail to keep it all back. She is about to head out to dinner when she thinks to herself that Finn may have joined Connix and Poe at dinner by now and maybe it's best to wait a little while longer. This is the first time she has been alone in days and instead she decides to take this time to meditate on all that she has learned from Luke during her time on Ach-to.

Rey sits cross legged on the floor in her room with the bed to the right of her, the door to her left. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes while emptying her mind just like Luke taught her on Ach-to. She feels the force around her. The Light. The Dark. She can sense the people eating in the Dining Room and the ones recovering in the med bay. She can sense the air blowing around the apartment in Cloud City. Her own breath steadies as she pushes her senses farther out past the Apartment. As she reaches out farther from Bespin she suddenly feels like her room has been plunged into ice. She struggles to remain focused and the peace she once felt is replaced with fear as she feels like she is physical falling back to Bespin.

Rey eyes shoot open and she takes a second to steady herself before standing up. She looks around the room with confusion. _This is not my room._ The room is darker with more furniture. There is a table with two chairs that replace the plush chair and table. The air feels recycled and cold. She is not panicking, not yet at least. She glances at the bed as she takes one step forward with her hand outstretched for the door knob, her heart drops and she can feel a knot forming in her stomach.

 _Ben?_ _Wait. Who is that with Ben?_

Laying in the dark silk sheets is Ben, shirtless again, with a woman with dark hair and who also appears to be shirtless. _Ben is with a girl?!_ _After he gave me all that shit about hugging Poe and I catch him in bed with someone else the same day!_

Rey is about to wake him up and chew him out for his hypocrisy when she realizes Ben and the woman are not asleep. The woman slowly begins to trail kisses from Ben's neck down to his collar bone and across his chest. Ben keeps his eyes closed as he smiles and moans softly at the woman's affection. Rey is stunned. She cannot move or speak while watching the lovers in bed. Ben moans softly in sync with the kisses she places on his neck before she moves to softly bite his jawline. Rey watches painfully as she trails the kisses to Ben's lips and as the woman deepens her kiss, she moves her body on top of Ben in order to straddle his body. Ben moves the blankets around them as he positions the woman over his hard member. Ben moans louder as the woman slowly inches herself down his cock while matching kisses down his neck until he is entirely inside her. Rey watches with widened eyes as the woman can surprisingly handle his girth without screaming. Their movements start slow and then gradually pick up. Rey can hear Ben's breathing pick up with each pump of his cock and he begins to gently trails kisses down the woman's neck. He gently cups on of the woman's breasts in his hand as he begins to lick and nibble on the other while she rides him steadily as if she will never get tired. Rey can feel her own excitement begin to build between her legs and she squeezes her thighs shut to keep from touching herself. It's exciting to watch but Rey fears what Ben might do to her if he discovers her in the room. Ben and the woman move in sync with their thrusts as if they were made to be doing this together all along. Faster and faster the woman moves her hips. Rey can hear moans from both Ben and this mystery woman matching the thrusts between them. Finally, when it seems like they cannot go any faster Rey hears the woman cry out "Oh Ben" as she climaxes. Almost instantly, Ben has his own climax as he and the woman seem to lose themselves in each other. Ben covers the woman's mouth in a deep kiss as they ride their orgasms together.

Rey is shaking with anger as she watches the lover's orgasm together. She forces herself to turn towards the door and she can feel hot tears streaming down her cheeks. _Why would he care so much about me if he already has another woman in his life? Maybe I was right after all. He just wants me for my power._ With that thought Rey tries to sever the connection as sobs build in her chest. She needs to leave now, or she will be found out. Rey blinks back fresh tears threatening to fall when she looks back at the lovers in bed. The woman moves to lay next to Ben and places her head on his chest above his heart. Rey's heart drops at the sight. Wait, _I know her._ Rey examines the woman's brown shoulder length hair, tanned skins, and freckles and feels as though she is looking into a mirror. This woman is Rey. _I just watched myself fuck Ben Solo._ The couple doesn't seem to notice Rey standing in the room or they choose to ignore her as she wipes fresh tears from her face. Rey pleads with the Force to close the bond and take her home. Nothing works. Ben and the other Rey are giggling and cuddling while she suffers watching them in the room. _Why would the force show me this?_ The other Rey lifts her chin to peck Ben softly on the lips as he cups her cheek and deepens the kiss. Rey watches as finally, the connection begins to fade out. The last thing Rey sees is Ben staring into the other Rey's eyes whispering. She cannot hear the words as the connection fades completely to darkness.

Almost instantly, Rey's eyes jerk open. She is laying on the floor and is relieved to see she is still in her room on Cloud City. She sits up and looks around the room impulsively after the dream she just had while stretching out her neck. _It was only a dream. Damn it was a good dream though…_ Rey is shaken from her thoughts as her stomach grumbles loudly. She was so tired from the previous day that she skipped dinner and fell asleep while meditating, which led to the dream about Ben with that other Rey. _Kriff._ Rey forces herself to get up off the floor and begin the day. _Only one day left to make my decision._


	3. Chapter 3 - Supreme Leader Ren

_**AN: Please note this chapter contains mature content, adult language, and graphic scenes.**_

 _ **Also thank you to Jdross70 for the feedback – I am glad you love the story so far. =)**_

 _ ****Updated for a few typos that I missed prior to my initial posting of the story.**_

 **Chapter 3- Supreme Leader Ren**

Kylo wakes up suddenly with a gasp. He can feel the sweat dripping off his body and the hardness of his member under the sheets. He sits up and grabs the towel from the shower the night before to wipe the sweat off his body. As he is drying himself, he starts to remember the dream. At first, the dream is hazy with only bits and pieces being recalled. _Rey and I together. It felt so real. Yet something was not right…_

He lays back down and closes his eyes, thinking back to the details of the dream. He can almost feel Rey's small frame lying next to him as she trailed kisses from his neck, softly biting his neck as she made her way to his jaw. It felt so real when she trailed her teeth and lips softly across his making his skin tingle with eagerness. He remembers she softly traced his lips with her tongue and lips before kissing him fully. She knew what she was doing the entire time, reading him thru the force to know where he wanted her to touch or kiss. He remembers the look in her eye as she sat up and positioned herself over his member. He will never forget the feeling of her slowly lowering herself onto his cock for the first time. It was like they were made for each other. Oh yes, he can remember how she slowly teased his member, picking up the pace as her hips crashed down onto him as if she would never get tired. He remembers the feel of her breasts in his hands and thinking they were the most perfect things he had ever seen, touched, and kissed. He remembers hearing her small moans and feeling the room spin as they came together. He remembers feeling happy hearing her use his given name as she succumbed to her orgasm. He remembers not wanting to let her go and finally letting her lay down next to him. He remembers the weight of her head on his chest as she listened to his heart beat slow from their lovemaking. He remembers looking deep into her eyes and smiling at her as if they were the only two people in the galaxy. Finally, the last thing he remembers is was what he said to Rey before he woke up. He can still hear his own voice in his head as he said it. He can see her face as if it's right in front of him watching him as he says for the first time "I love you Rey".

He sits up again. This time he is angry with himself. _Why the hell would I say that?_

Kylo puts his head in his hands and thinks back over what has happened the last few days. _This girl has caused nothing but problems for me. Granted, things are a little better with Snoke gone. Yes, with Phasma gone too there is only one pest to worry about now. Even still, I was considered an unstoppable force prior to the destruction of the Starkiller Base. Everybody feared the dangerous Kylo Ren. Until that girl showed up. Ever since she stumbled into the picture, things have changed._

It was true when Kylo thought about his life prior to the 'girl from Jakku' ruining everything, he was more in control of everything. Hux feared him without a doubt back then. Troops cleared out of Kylo's way when he walked down the halls. But now, Hux undermines Kylo's authority at every opportunity. The Storm Troopers whisper about Kylo and his failure to bring a simple droid back from Jakku and Takodano. _They will all pay in the end,_ he thinks to himself _._

He shakes his head one final time before getting out of bed to prepare for the day as if it might erase the dream he just had about Rey, but it only causes more thoughts about their time on Starkiller Base. _The Scavenger was afraid of me- until I took off my helmet. I should have left it on and let her continue to believe I was a Monster. No, even better I should have fucked her on that interrogation chair until she had no choice but give me the location of Luke. She would have enjoyed it anyway. I remember her thinking about us being together as soon as she saw my face. I remember her confusion. She was aroused by my looks and at her being restrained to a chair alone with me. I could sense her arousal as I threatened to take whatever I wanted. She was so angry with herself for feeling aroused by me. If anything, her anger and refusal to give me the information made me want her more. He remembers thinking that Rey's anger would be better served on the dark side. The loneliness she felt. The sadness that overcame her when her deepest secrets were now taken by Kylo. She would make a fine Apprentice, if she let go of her past. To think that all of that was revealed because he took off that damn helmet._

Kylo smiles briefly as he remembers the anger radiating off her in that interrogation room, but his smile fades just as quick when he recalls flaw in his plan of taking off the helmet. _That is when this connection opened between us. We both felt the connection opening our thoughts and memories to one another like a damn open's floodgates. As I pulled information about her past and attempted to get Luke's location from her, she resisted and hid the information away deeper. All while pulling information from my own head thru that connection. I doubt she even knew what she was doing. I was so desperate to find Luke, to end the Jedi, I should have closed the connection._

Kylo slams the door to his dresser harder than he liked as he finishes fastening his belt. _She stole my trainings and used them against me. She became stronger._ At the mention of his Grandfather, Kylo realized his mistake. _I underestimated the girl._ Kylo remembers slamming the connection shut between them in that moment. Disbelief washed over them both as they realize the exchange of information that just took place. _Yes, taking off the helmet had been helpful in getting her to relax, but at what cost?_ _She is strong with the force and is getting stronger as every day passes._

Kylo is dressed and has begun pacing his room lost in thought. _She is the reason I am scarred and broken. She is a distraction to my goal to rule the Galaxy and finish Vader's path. Nothing else. She took my trainings. She took my Grandfather's light saber and because of her it is now broken. She resists me. She resists the power we could provide one another._

He touches the scar on his face and he can recall the moment he fell to the ground on Starkiller base. _She resisted me in the end, but she cannot deny that she wanted the dark side. She wanted to join me._ He can still remember the smell of his burnt flesh from his face and chest as he laid in the snow. He remembers looking up at her and thinking _this girl is lethal._ He remembers how fierce she looked as she stalked in front of him preparing to finish the fight. _She was riding the power of the dark side and she wanted to finish me right there. The darkness and the light battled for Rey that day. Unfortunately, the light overpowered the darkness. But it won't last for long._

Kylo sighs as he puts his boots on and hooks his lightsaber to his belt. As he is putting on his gloves he thinks back to that dream. _Maybe that is the future. Maybe it was a projection from Rey._ _Maybe she is projecting this romantic crap into my head,_ he thinks to himself. _First the handholding on Ach-To and now this?_ He stops when he thinks about their connection on Ach-To. _It felt so real then too. The heat from the fire. The rain outside. Rey was so vulnerable. I could feel the same sadness she felt. I could feel her need to have someone care for her in a genuine way. The loneliness is something we share admittedly. We could be unstoppable together,_ Kylo thinks to looks down at his hands as he recalls the touch of her fingers against his skin. He remembers the magnetic flow of energy that seemed to hold them together, their eyes locked on each other in what seemed like eternity but, was only a few seconds. Those few seconds was all it took for chaos to occur internally for Kylo Ren. He felt the pull to the light so strong from that touch he almost considered getting in a ship and running back to his Mother. He wanted to tell Rey he would follow her anywhere in the galaxy. He was undone by the Scavenger. Finally, the spell was broken by his own Uncle and the connection was closed before anything further could happen. Kylo for once was thankful for his Uncle's actions on Ach-To.

Kylo Ren was tired of playing games. He was also certain of two mistakes he made since meeting the girl on Takodano. T _aking off my helmet and holding that scavengers' hand._ _She will pay for the rejection, the resisting, the theft of my training. I have plans for you Rey._ _Only one day left to put the final touches on this plan._ Kylo straightens his gloves and cloak as he looks in the mirror and says to his reflection, " _time to work, Supreme Leader"._

Before Kylo can open the door to his quarters, his communicator starts to buzz. "What is it General?" He snaps.

"Supreme Leader Ren, we have received an urgent message from someone on Bespin who reports they know exactly where the Resistance is hiding", Hux replies quickly.

"I'll be there shortly" replies Kylo as he snaps the communicator shut.

Kylo marches out of his quarters and heads towards the bridge without greeting or looking at the Troopers and Technician's passing him along the way. As he enters the bridge the crew salute him and he raises his hand to give them permission to return to their work. He spots Hux with a data pad as he finishes speaking with Lieutenant Mitaka. Kylo approaches as Mitaka then exits the bridge.

"What is the message?" Kylo asks in a bored tone.

"Actually sir, what I have received is an anonymous tip. The Resistance landed yesterday evening at a private apartment in Cloud City. Our source reports they are refueling and resupplying their ship before they leave for a new base. We may be able to stop them before they jump to their next destination" Hux replies with a smirk.

"Interesting. Did the 'anonymous tip' have any further information to provide?" Kylo replies.

"No sir. They didn't know the exact apartment the Resistance landed at or who owned it, only that they knew the Resistance was staying somewhere in Cloud City for fuel and supplies". Hux replies without looking at Kylo.

"Press them for more information. Credits seem to help in these circumstances. Maybe they just need some motivation in order to give us the full information. Please alert me with any further updates" Kylo responds as he turns and walks away from the bridge.

As he exits the bridge, he is stopped by Lieutenant Mitaka in the hallway. "Sir, I am sorry to disturb you, but I have updated information on the report Hux just provided to you", he says with his voice lowered to avoid others hearing him.

Kylo Ren stops and looks at Mitaka with curiosity. "Come with me" he responds quietly, and they walk down the hallway to a secluded conference room. When they enter the room, Kylo shuts the door behind them both and motions for Mitaka to sit down at the table. "What is your report, Lieutenant?" Kylo asks as he reclines in the chair looking patiently at the young man. _He is quite young to be a Lieutenant. I wonder how he was promoted._

"Sir, Hux only gave you part of the information from the anonymous source. He is purposely withholding information from you" Mitaka explains evenly. _Ah, that is how he got to be Lieutenant, by being a snitch. But at least he gets quickly to the point._

"I assume you know the full report from the source then?" Kylo asks expectantly as he folds his hands in front of his face resting his elbows on the armrests.

"Yes Sir. Our source told us the Resistance is staying with an old Rebellion General. You may recognize his name, Lando Calrissian. He retired before the Battle of Jakku and has been living in a private apartment in Cloud City away from politics. I reviewed his file when we got the report so to prepare the information fully for you. He was not previously considered a threat to the First Order, but we have had people watching him in case he decided to join the Resistance. The Anonymous Source on Bespin doesn't want to blow their cover as they report they are in the Resistance and are currently staying in the apartment. They will reveal who they are once we agree to a few terms".

"What are their terms Lieutenant?" Kylo asks curiously.

"They have requested money of course along with the agreement that no harm would come to them and a select list of individuals who should be allowed to leave Bespin prior to the First Order engaging the Resistance. They will not provide further information until we have agreed to the terms. I apologize I did not get this report to you before Hux. I was on my way to provide the information to you when he ordered me to leave the Bridge", Mitaka replies.

Kylo cannot hide his amusement as he laughs and stands up suddenly. _Finally, the moment has come. Hux will pay for this insubordination._

"Thank you for telling me the truth Lieutenant. I shall see to it that you are rewarded for you candor", Kylo says to the smiling Lieutenant.

"That's not the only information I have for you Sir" Mitaka says bravely.

Kylo stares at Mitaka for a second before nodding his approval for the young man to continue.

"Sir, I have heard from General Hux personally that he planning to overthrow you and take on the role of Supreme Leader by end of day tomorrow. He personally asked me to join his plan and as a result I would become General if all went as planned. He said you are distracted by the hunt for the Resistance and that Scavenger from Jakku and would be less likely to sense a plot at this time." Mitaka pauses for a second expecting an outburst from Kylo Ren. Kylo says nothing and Mitaka continues his report, "I must be honest with you in saying I agreed to join Hux, but only to gather information to bring to you. My loyalty is with the First Order and with you, Supreme Leader Ren".

"You have chosen wisely Lieutenant. I think we should deal with Hux and his plot before it goes any further", Kylo states without emotion. "I will be calling for an inspection of the entire squadron in Hangar B in 10 minutes. Go back to the Bridge and collect Hux's data pad when he leaves for the inspection. We need the information he has saved from this Anonymous source to continue tracking down the Resistance. Once you have the data pad, report to the Hangar for the inspection as normal. Do you understand?".

"Yes Sir, thank you", Lieutenant Mitaka replies.

Mitaka leaves for the bridge at once and Kylo Ren stalks out of the conference room with a smirk. _Finally, the General will be out of my way. This ends now._ Kylo Ren returns to his quarters and quickly sits at his desk to pull up the main communicator for the ship. He runs his hands thru his hair as he takes a deep breath before starting the ship-wide Holo. "This is Supreme Leader Ren. We will have an inspection of Hangar B. All Personnel not in an essential post assignment should report to the Hangar in 20 minutes". He ends the Holo and checks his appearance once more in the mirror before leaving his quarters.

Kylo enters Hangar B before most of the troops arrive. This Hangar is the largest on the Finalizer II and holds the main transport shuttles and a vast majority of the Tie Fighters. In the middle of the hangar a large platform has been raised for Kylo Ren to address the squadron. The Leaders on the Finalizer II stand closest to the platform and the procession of Stormtroopers continue to thunder thru the Hangar as armor clashes with the metal floor of the hangar. Kylo Ren reaches out with the Force to determine what his army is thinking about this impromptu meeting. He is relieved to feel the majority are confused with this random inspection. _Good. They don't expect anything._ He tries to get a read on the Leaders and he realizes that Hux is particularly good at keeping a wall up between himself and Kylo Ren. _That wall will come down today._ The other leaders are not as lucky. He can sense their nervousness as Kylo glances at each of them purposely.

Finally, the marching ends. The Stormtroopers have filled the Hangar to capacity on three sides of the platform. Kylo Ren stands with his hands behind his back as he begins to pace on the platform to better speak to the entire assembly, "I have called this inspection today because there are individuals in the First Order, more specifically on this ship, that are not performing to the First Order. It should be addressed that I am not will not be an absent Supreme Leader that you have grown accustomed to in the past. I will not be sitting in my pajamas giving orders thru our Senior Leadership. Rather I will be in the Bridge personally every day as part of our mission to bring down the Resistance".

Kylo Ren stops pacing to look around the room. There are no sounds and no movement as he lets the silence linger in the Hangar. He walks to the front of the platform to look down at the Leaders standing between the platform and the Stormtroopers behind them.

Kylo begins talking as he looks across the Hangar again, "effective immediately we will begin random inspections of everyone's quarters. All those in possession of banned items from the First Order handbook will be subject to disciplinary actions that I alone will determine based upon the items that are found. I will be gracious and allow until the end of the day tomorrow to dispose of anything that might be incriminating. There are no extensions or exceptions to these inspections. In addition, all trainings will be audited to ensure standards are being met appropriately and to eliminate defections. Any Stormtrooper or member of the First Order found to have provided secrets to the Resistance or who has renounced the order will be executed."

Kylo looks at every Senior Leader in front of the platform stopping briefly, but only stopping fully when he gets to Hux. "Finally, I would like to invite General Hux to please join me on the platform for this next announcement". Kylo gestures for General Hux to stand next to him as Hux climbs the stairs and walks onto the platform. Hux glares at Kylo as he stands in a relaxed attention pose on the platform next to Kylo Ren.

"I have some further announcements to make", Kylo begins. "It has become apparent that General Hux has failed the First Order. One of the Stormtroopers he trained defected to the Resistance, provided invaluable information about our defenses, which ultimately resulted in the destruction of Starkiller Base. General Hux allowed a Resistance Pilot to distract him above D'Qar, which in turn caused the destruction of our dreadnaught, the Resistance escaping, and the destruction of our flagship at Crait". Kylo stops to let the weight of these accusations sink in for everyone. "These are actions that have caused the Resistance to continue running and for hope of our defeat to spread across the galaxy. We cannot let these actions go unpunished. As Supreme Leader of the First Order, I hereby order the execution of General Armitage Hux to commence immediately for his treason and ineffective leadership to the First Order" Kylo Ren orders.

Hux whips his head towards Kylo Ren in disbelief. "You cannot make order my execution without a trial. I have done nothing wrong and the accusations are false", Hux says quickly and loudly for everyone to hear. "You are the trait-" Hux's voice is cut off abruptly.

Kylo Ren's arm is stretched outward towards Hux gripping his neck thru the force just enough to silence him and keep him breathing shallowly on the platform. "Executioner Troopers join us on the platform".

Two Stormtroopers march up the stairs and stand on either side of the former General with their laser axes activated in front of their torsos. Their armor is distinguished from the regular Troopers only by a black carbon accent on one side of the top of their helmet and on their shoulder's plates. The armor worn by an Executioner Trooper has no identifiable markers or numbers, keeping the individual anonymous as the assignments change daily.

Hux continues to claw at his throat as if he could remove Kylo's invisible hand from choking him. He falls to his knees on the platform couching and sputtering as he tries to breathe. Kylo spares a look at Hux before continuing his speech, "I would like to provide some further charges against Armitage before his sentence is carried out". Kylo looks across the captains and lieutenant's in front of him and then moves to sweep his vision across the Assembly. "It has come to my attention that Armitage Hux was planning a coup to overthrow me. I know he was not alone in his plans. I also know which individuals were planning on helping him carry out his plan". Kylo continues to stare at the leaders and he can sense their dread of possibly having the same fate as Hux.

"Execute." He orders suddenly. One of the Executioner Trooper's raises his ax and smoothly swipes down onto the back of Hux's neck effectively decapitating the General. Kylo watches as the head rolls across the platform and lands with a thud in front of the First Order leaders who are still standing at the base of the platform trying to maintain some composure after witnessing the execution of Armitage Hux.

"Let this be an example of the consequences for disobeying my orders. Any person found guilty of treason against the First Order or the Supreme Leader shall meet the same outcome of the former General" Kylo states evenly. "Effective immediately and until further notice, all First Order Leadership will report to me directly as the post of General is currently unoccupied. All orders will be given directly by me. No exceptions. If you receive an order that is not from me, the Supreme Leader, you should report this information to me via holo immediately. Everyone is dismissed. Please return to your posts".

Kylo Ren stands on the platform as every member of the First Order leaves the Hangar without speaking. He watches the Leaders leave with heads bowed in submission. Kylo has successfully solidified his position as Supreme Leader Ren. He can feel the anxiety and the fear wafting in the air. Once he is alone on the platform he turns and looks outside the hangar doors in the vastness of space. He can see the faint glow of Bespin in the distance as they continue to fly close to the system to avoid alerting the Resistance. _The respect and fear I had before is restored. Phasma, Snoke, and now Hux are all out of the way. It is time to claim what is rightfully mine._ He smirks as he thinks about the deadline approaching for Rey.

 _Soon Rey. Very soon we shall know what the future holds for us both._


	4. Chapter 4- Reborn

AN: Thank you to everyone who sent in reviews. I read them all and I really appreciate all the kind words. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as we start to prepare for the reunion between Rey and Ben :)

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Chapter 4 – Reborn

Rey is unable to sleep after the dream of her and Ben together, so she stays awake and dresses quickly before the sun comes up. She grabs her staff and heads out to find an empty and quiet place to practice sparring. It was always a way for her to relax after a bad day of scavenging parts on Jakku. After having that dream about Ben and her being together, she feels this is as good a time as any to practice. _I wish the lightsaber was repaired but the staff will have to do for now,_ she thinks to herself as she heads towards the Hangar. _I won't disturb anyone in the Hangar and there may be more space than in one of the conference rooms,_ she thinks to herself _._ Rey is relieved to find a large empty area in a corner of the Hangar near the Falcon where she can practice and not break anything.

Rey stretches and warms up with some easy swipes with her staff before she begins to twirl the staff above her head and across her body at invisible enemies gradually building speed. She can feel her muscles starting to protest as she pushes herself to move faster as she whips the staff thru the air. As she focuses her breathing and her mind, she can feel the force moving around her and thru her body helping to make her stronger and helping her to focus her thoughts. _This is exactly how I felt during the throne room battle on the Finalizer,_ she realizes. _I feel like I could fight for hours._ She continues to focus on the force moving around her, around the apartment, and in the nearby galaxy as she moves the staff in swift fluid movements as if it's an extension of her body and arms.

As Rey finishes a sequence of complicated moves where she spins on one foot, jumping up in the air before landing in a killing blow, she takes a deep breath to refocus her energy. As she breathes, she catches a sudden shift in the force nearby, which causes her to gasp and drop her staff on the ground. She closes her eyes and tries to focus on the cause of the shift and feels as though she is pushed off balance even though her feet are steady on the ground. The force continues to crash around her in waves almost pulsing with tension as Rey begins to feel sweat beading on her forehead. She sits down on the Hangar floor and closes her eyes to try and find the source of the shift in the force. Something _has happened._ She then realizes it's has to do with someone. _Ben._ She opens her eyes in a panic and starts to reach out thru the force to confirm if this has something to do with Ben but stops suddenly. _I really don't want to have a force connection open after that dream last night._ She continues meditating on the change in the force she can feel still washing over her. She focuses her mind on following the ripples and waves and can feel the change in the force coming from a First Order ship nearby. Rey smiles as she feels proud of herself for being able to reach out that far but then feels frustrated when she cannot move any closer. _Ben is blocking me._ She can recognize the force signature of Ben on the ship and instead of focusing on getting in she tries to focus on the type of energy. _Is he happy or is he mad? Is he in trouble?_ Her heart begins to beat faster as she struggles to find out why Ben is affecting the force like this. As she starts to grit her teeth to push herself to focus, she feels a bigger wave thru the force suddenly push her focus back to Cloud City. She sits there for a second and realizes the shift in the force has ended. She feels… _relief. No, he feels relief._ _Ben is relieved about something._

Rey opens her eyes in the Hangar on Cloud City. She prepares herself to feel sore in her legs and arms as she stands up after sitting without cooling down from practicing, but then realizes she is not sore or tired. She feels relaxed from her practicing and meditating. The shift in the balance renewed her energy and she feels stronger and lighter than before the shift in the force. It's as if a barrier has been removed. _This change_ must _be because of the connection with Ben. He must have caused this shift in the balance. Maybe he feels the same things I am feeling? What are you up to Ben Solo?_

She walks to a water cooler near the entrance to the Hangar for a quick drink when she catches sight of Leia standing outside of the main apartment building with her eyes closed. _I wonder if Leia has also sensed this change in the force._ Seeing that Leia is awake she decides it may be better to end her practice session and freshen up for her meeting with Leia before the rest of the Resistance gets started on their day.

Rey walks quietly back to her quarters and feels clear-minded for the first time since leaving Jakku. _Whatever happened thru the force has affected my abilities, I still feel stronger and more in tune with the force around me. I wonder if Leia feels any different?_ she thinks to her self as she undresses and steps into the shower. She is eager to speak with Leia about the shift in the force, so she wastes no time in freshening up. She dries off and quickly dresses in black pants with a light blue shirt from the pile of clothing left in her room the day before. She ignores her stomach grumbling as she leaves her quarters and walks down the hallway to the small conference room for her meeting with Leia. Rey is happy to see Leia is already waiting for her in the room, and breakfast is waiting for them both.

"Good morning Leia, you must have read my mind about meeting early. Thank you for having breakfast ready as well", she says to the General as she sits down and begins filling her plate full of food.

"Good morning Rey, you seem to be in a good mood. I went to the Hangar this morning and saw you practicing with your staff, I assume that helped?" Leia responds as she pours Rey a cup of caf.

"Yes, I miss having a lightsaber, but it was so relaxing to practice with my staff this morning. I didn't sleep very well and thought I might get up early to practice", Rey says as he focuses on her plate. "It might sound weird, but I felt a shift in the force when I was practicing in the Hangar. Did you happen to feel the same thing?" Rey asks after swallowing a bite of her breakfast.

"Yes, I felt a shift also. I think it has to do with Ben, but my abilities are not as strong as yours so I am not sure what it could mean", Leia says before taking a sip of her caf while watching Rey eat as if she had been starving for days.

Rey swallows her bite and adds, "I thought it might have to do about Ben as well. Even more odd is that I feel different from the shift. I feel stronger, lighter even. It's as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Whatever happened, and if it's connected to Ben, it might be a good thing", Rey replies in between bites.

"Let's hope it's something good for the Resistance", Leia adds as Rey nods in the middle of chewing a particularly large bite.

Leia pauses for a second to eat some of her own breakfast, internally noting how much Rey would need to learn about etiquette in the future.

"Alright, while you eat, I will talk about our plan regarding Ben", Leia says after wiping her lips. "I ask that you hear out the plan and think about what I am proposing before deciding on proceeding. It's going to be dangerous and risky. It's not something I typically would do but seeing as we are essentially down to double digit numbers for the Resistance, this may be our only shot to end this war. I feel confident this plan may just work in our favor. Ben, General Hux, and the rest of the First Order will not expect this plan. If you agree to the plan, then you need to keep your defenses up as we work out the details so do not let Ben into your mind", Leia says without breaking eye contact from Rey.

"I can do that", Rey replies quickly.

"Also, Rey, I need you to be honest with your opinion of this plan. If you are uncomfortable for any reason we can work on changing things or on a new plan entirely", Leia says while Rey continues to chew on her breakfast.

Rey nods as she continues chewing. Finally, she swallows the large bite of her breakfast and responds, "Yes, I will be honest with my opinion. I'm ready to hear the plan."

 _How hard can this be?_ Rey thinks to herself.

"Alright. I would like to arrange a formal dinner meeting between you and Ben, alone on a neutral planet nearby, where you could negotiate for the end of the war. With this shift in the force today, which you say helped you feel clear-minded and stronger, we should use this to our advantage now. If you meet with Ben alone, no fighting or battles going on in the background, I think you could seduce him in turning back to the light-side of the force. After hearing what happened on Starkiller Base and on the Finalizer, it seems like he spoke with you easily when it was just you two alone. But, when the First Order was firing on us, you were desperate to save your friends and he refused to discuss anything but his plans. Maybe if the environment was neutral and you were along with Ben, the negotiations would go better." Leia takes a small bite of her breakfast as she watches Rey's reaction to her plan and allowing her time to respond.

"I'm sorry, you want me to do what?" Rey asks incredulously.

"I know it's unorthodox and typically I wouldn't suggest this, but this is not a time for traditional solutions. Ben is not like Snoke or even Emperor Palpatine. Our tendency is to shoot first and ask questions later, regardless of my orders sometimes. I am afraid to hear what Lando, Poe, Finn and the rest are going to bring to the table in our afternoon meeting. I want to have this plan underway before then, so we don't have to discuss the idea of assassinating Ben. Honestly, I cannot order anyone to kill Ben, he is my son. Unfortunately, he will not come home willingly or by my request. Han tried to ask Ben to come home and look what happened to him. No, I think Ben must choose to return on his own. I don't want to lose Ben like I lost Han. I also don't want to lose you Rey", she adds sadly. "We have already lost so many people in the last few days".

"What are the other options?" Rey asks Leia softly.

"Well, we could continue to run. We could continue to fly around the galaxy in the Falcon, running and hiding, but the First Order is still able to track us thru light speed. They know exactly where we are right now, and they are waiting for us to leave Cloud City so they can finish us off. We have an opportunity to this entire war with your help. Otherwise, we would need to surrender or attempt and escape, which would result in our demise", Leia responds. Seeing Rey's concern, she adds softly, "Ben is already waiting for you to decide on whether you will join him or not. A formal meeting would be customary to negotiate a peace treaty if this were the Senate, which I know this is not the Senate. However, if you are to keep up the appearances of joining him then a formal dinner would set the right tone and help him consider stopping this war versus you dueling with lightsabers".

Rey takes a minute to absorb Leia's words. She is torn on what she should do. Rey still considers Ben a monster for killing his own father and murdering countless innocent people across the galaxy at Snoke's order. Not to mention, he destroyed the Jedi temple and killed innocent force sensitives. _Ben has already said, 'Let the past die'. Maybe it is time we move on from the past and negotiate peace. What would a Jedi do in this situation? A Jedi would think of what would benefit the greater good. It's not about winning or who is more powerful. It is about saving lives and restoring balance. If I agreed to join Ben and we end this war together, that would help the greater good of the galaxy. We could restore that balance together._

"I understand Leia. You asked me to be honest and I will be honest with you. I want to say no to your plan", Rey begins. "But I don't want anyone else to die. I do not want to be the cause of more people dying or suffering at the hands of the First Order. If I can do anything to help you, the Resistance, and the galaxy, then I am on board. I doubt I could 'seduce' Ben, but convincing or negotiating for a peace treaty is possible", Rey replies shyly. "Ben wants me for my power, to turn me to the dark side. Nothing more", Rey says shaking her head.

"I'm wouldn't be so sure about that Rey. Ben is finally on his own and can make his own decisions. He doesn't have Snoke whispering to him or guiding his actions anymore. He is Supreme Leader now and he needs to keep up the appearance of ruling the First Order for now or risk being challenged by another. I think if Ben had another option where he could be happy, he might agree to end the war and disband the First Order. Imagine, if this plan works and Ben joins you, he could come home and all of us would live in peace", Leia says hopefully.

Rey considers what Leia has said and feels she is right. _Ben did seem less conflicted once Snoke was killed. He seems more confident in our connections now than during our fight on Starkiller and even when we spoke in the elevator on the Finalizer. As soon as Snoke died, he was confident in his abilities, which made me feel more confident in my abilities to kill those guards. Afterwards, he was just as confident his future was with me,_ Rey realizes.

"How are you so certain this plan will work?" Rey asks curiously.

"The Solo men have a way of torturing the ones they love. Han always bothered the hell out of me before we finally admitted our feelings for each other. Granted, Han did this in a different way without the force, but Ben is like his father with his stubbornness. Ben cares for you, Rey. It may not be love, but my instincts are telling me there is something there. You have this connection thru the force and you both open it to one another willingly. I have never heard of this before", Leia replies.

"Snoke said he bridged our minds", Rey adds defensively.

"Snoke didn't open your connection", Leia says shaking her head. "He may have manipulated the connection on occasion, but it continues after his death."

Leia pauses as she grabs Rey's hand on the table to emphasize her next point. "Rey, if Ben wanted to, he would have killed you already. He would have killed you on Starkiller or after the fight with the guards in the Throne room. He _cares_ about you. He saved you from Snoke, he fought the guards with you side by side, and he hasn't ordered the First Order to destroy us here despite knowing exactly where we are hiding."

Rey tries to argue the point Leia has just made but is speechless. _Leia is right. Ben had many opportunities to kill me and didn't do it. He could have continued to torture information out of my head on Starkiller. Instead he left the room soon after realizing I was force sensitive and seeing my thoughts about us being together. He knew what I was thinking as soon as he revealed his face. I would have enjoyed the feeling of his body on mine, taking me while restrained on that interrogation chair. That helmet coming off was a blessing and a curse. I want to join him – but not to rule the First Order. My vision from Ach-to shows us together on the same side. Maybe we can end the war and have peace in the Galaxy. Maybe that is what we are destined to do – bring balance to the galaxy._

Leia watches Rey's face carefully as she sips her Caf. When Rey doesn't respond right away, she adds "I know this plan is crazy. I am desperate to save what is left of this Resistance and possible save my son as well. This must be your choice alone. I know he will agree to a meeting if you are going alone", Leia adds.

Rey consider it further and then responds, "I agree with you. I think this could be the time to negotiate for the end of this war. I will agree to meet with Ben alone. I will do my best to negotiate for peace. I see one problem with this plan though. I do not know anything about politics or etiquette for this to be as smooth as you think it will be".

Leia smiles at Rey's response. "Thank you, Rey, for agreeing to this plan. I will teach you everything I know in the next few hours before our afternoon meeting with Lando and the rest so you can feel prepared for the meeting with Ben. I may be a Resistance General, but I am also a Princess. My entire life was filled with etiquette trainings and politics courses to prepare for ruling. I will do my best to teach you the important points of how to negotiate and look like royalty. Sometimes flattery, a dress, and a little makeup go a long way in political negotiations", Leia responds with a small laugh.

Rey smiles at Leia's explanation. On Jakku, she never heard much about the New Republic and wonders to herself how Leia has survived the rebellion, the Senate, and now the First Order. _Hope. The Force. Either way, Leia is brave and is confident with her plan. I will also be brave and confident._ Rey's smile fades as she realizes Leia wants her to wear a dress and makeup to this meeting.

"Leia, I have been alone most of my life scavenging parts in a desert. I have never worn a dress or makeup. I have fought off thieves, rapists, and filthy junk traders. I am more afraid of attempting this meeting with Ben in a dress and makeup then I fear dueling against him with a lightsaber. I know how to make things work on ships but negotiating to end a war while wearing a dress is not something I have ever done before", Rey replies to Leia.

Leia smiles back at Rey and places her hand over Rey's on the table. "I know you can protect yourself if it comes down to a fight. We will be ready to back you up if the negotiations go badly", Leia replies to Rey who still looks concerned, so Leia continues. "Rey, you are resilient. You survived on Jakku on your own in the harshest of environments. You adapted and found a way to use the force to fight for your life without any training on more than one occasion against a trained Dark-Jedi on Starkiller. You are fighting for the Resistance and for peace in the entire galaxy and you are afraid of wearing a dress? I know you can do this. You must believe in yourself", Leia responds as she lets go of Rey's hand.

"I will do my best to learn as much as I can this morning", Rey says after Leia's pep talk.

"Excellent. I will call in a droid to take your measurements for a dress to be made immediately for you. I think blue will be a good color. Before the droid gets here, we will begin with table etiquette as you finish your breakfast", Leia replies.

As Rey finishes her breakfast she absorbs as much as she can from Leia's lecture. They spend the morning discussing table manners, political negotiation strategies, and even how-to walk-in heels. Rey is not as enthusiastic about wearing strappy heels and nearly rolls her ankle on the first attempt to walk in them. After trying several options, Leia agrees with Rey on a pair of ankle high black boots with a small heel that will be dressy for the occasion but also allow Rey fight in if the negotiations go badly. Rey is feeling more confident in her abilities and in having this meeting with Ben as she continues practicing with Leia. She takes a break to use the refresher before they wrap up the meeting with her dress fitting.

As Rey is out of the room, Leia realizes she is impressed with Rey's ability to learn so quickly. She thinks back to Ben when he was younger and how he learned etiquette skills so quickly but was much more stubborn in the process than Rey. _If this goes how I hope it will, Ben will have certainly met his match,_ Leia thinks to herself with a smile. _Let's hope Ben hasn't forgotten his manners…_

Before Leia can reminisce much further, Rey comes back into the room. Before they can begin another lesson, a tailor droid enters the room with a garment bag, sewing materials, and a tall mirror in tow. The mirror is placed near the door of the room and Leia takes the bag away from the droid to examine the dress on the now cleared table. Both women sigh as they look at the dress the Cloud City droids have prepared for Rey. As the bodice of the dress is laid on the table, Rey is mesmerized by how much it resembles stardust with the midnight blue velvet fabric and the chiffon overlay with shimmering crystals. After admiring it a second longer, Leia steps out of the room to give Rey privacy while the fitting and alterations are being completed.

Rey undresses and places the velvet bodice of the dress against her body. She turns to stand away from the mirror so she can look out the window watching the clouds move past the apartment. She focuses on standing still and holding the bodice in place as the Tailor Droid moves around pinning and sewing the fabric. The process of altering and tailoring this dress is unlike anything Rey has ever seen. She takes turns watching the clouds and watching the droid finish sewing the seams on the bodice easily before moving onto a new section. The final touch is placed on the bodice, a flourish of silver embroidery to the top of heart shaped neckline of the bodice when the droid stops to speak with Rey before moving on to the skirt of the dress. Rey is instructed by the droid that Rey will wear pants in the same shade of midnight blue and fabric to match the bodice. The skirt is removable in case of the need to duel. Rey is grateful for the option but thinks to herself that dueling is not likely without a lightsaber. Rey steps into the pants which are hemmed to her height quickly. The final addition is a silk skirt with a chiffon overlay that is wrapped around her waist with a small belt to give the illusion that it's sewn to the bodice. The skirt and the belt are the same shade of midnight blue and the shimmering crystals match the cascading pattern from the bodice effortlessly. There are slits placed strategically in the fabric for Rey to walk without feeling restricted.

As the droid alters the hemline of the dress to Rey's height with the boots she will be wearing, Rey thinks back to the interrogation room and the first time she saw Ben without his helmet. _He really was handsome despite being so cold to me. Ever since I first opened my mind to Ben, my skills have increase in wielding a lightsaber. Now, with Leia's help and with this new shift in the force, we can bring balance to the galaxy and the force._

The droid finishes the hemline and exits the room allowing Leia to reenters with a case that she gently places on the table. Leia moves around Rey to inspect the dress in awe. "You are absolutely breathtaking. This color really suits you Rey", Leia finally responds with tears in her eyes. She stares at Rey lost in thought and then remembers the case, "Oh, I would like you to wear some jewelry I saved from Alderaan." Before Rey can protest, Leia moves back to the case and removes a small black velvet bag before walking back to Rey. "These have been in my family for years and I think they will bring you luck in your meeting with Ben". Rey is unable to respond as Leia places a pair of earrings in her hand. The earrings have blue crystals that attach to her ears and from the crystals dangle small strands of silver crystals as if they are falling stars. Leia also clasps a matching necklace around Rey's neck, which falls right above the center of the neckline as if it were made for the dress. Finally, Leia places a small ring on Rey's right ring finger with one blue stone set in silver stones in the shape of an oval.

"Thank you, Leia, I will take good care of them and you will get them back once I return from the negotiations with Ben", Rey says with a smile and tears in her eyes as she puts on her earrings.

"I know you will do great", Leia responds back. "You look stunning and that will put the power on your side from the beginning. Ben will not be expecting this level of formality, which will be vital to the purpose of this meeting".

Rey nods at Leia and starts to turn around to look in the mirror. Leia placed her hand on Rey's forearm, "Hold on Rey, I have something else for you". Leia picks up the case and brings it in her arms with the lid closed. "This is a gift from me to you. I do not want you going into this meeting unarmed. I am confident you will be successful with negotiations, but you should always be prepared".

As Leia finishes her sentence, she opens the case in front of Rey, whose jaw drops when she sees the silver glint of a lightsaber hilt in the case. She looks at Leia who is smiling back.

"This was my lightsaber when I trained with Luke before Ben was born. Unfortunately, it doesn't call to me as it once did. I know Jedi typically make their own lightsaber, but seeing as we are on a deadline, I thought you may want to use this one" Leia says softly as she gazes at her old lightsaber. "This morning when I was outside, the force showed me a vision of you and Ben together and you had my lightsaber clipped to your belt. It is meant to be. Please accept this as a gift for saving us on Crait and for attending the negotiation with Ben", Leia says with a tone of finality.

"I promise I will take good care of it", Rey replies while looking at Leia. Rey can feel the hum of the force pulling her to the lightsaber as Leia holds out the case to Rey. Rey wants to hesitate for the fear of visions that came when she picked up Anakin's lightsaber, but she is unable to control her arm from moving towards the box. As her fingers wrap around the hilt, she feels the energy of the force pulse around her with light and purpose. No visions come to her this time. No, she feels stronger as she ignites its blue blade just slightly darker than her prior lightsaber. _It is meant to be_ , Rey thinks back to Leia's words.

Leia beams at Rey knowingly as the lightsaber becomes one with Rey in that moment. Rey deactivates the lightsaber and smiles at Leia with newfound courage.

"Rey, I know you can do this. You will end this war and we will all live in peace. Bring my son home", Leia says.

"I will", Rey responds confidently.

Rey nods to Leia and turns her body to examine the dress in the mirror for the first time. Rey stares at her reflection in awe not recognizing the person staring back. She looks at the lightsaber and knows it is herself in this reflection, yet it is a different version of herself. She takes two steps closer to the mirror watching the dress flow around her gracefully. She closes her eyes, feeling the force moving around her as she grips the lightsaber in her hand. _I am someone, not nobody. I am no longer a scavenger stuck in the sands of Jakku. I am not afraid. I have found my place in all of this. I am Rey of Jakku, member of the Resistance, the last of the Jedi. I am one with the force. I will guard the force as a beacon of balance between the light and the dark. It is time to end this war._ She opens her eyes and stares at her reflection again. Rey is reborn and feels untouchable as her fierce gaze reflects at her.

 _I'm coming for you Ben Solo._


	5. Chapter 5 - Anonymous

Chapter 5 – Anonymous

Kylo Ren took to pacing slowly in his room after a rough morning of data work since the execution of General Hux. Kylo was now responsible for all requests that would have been dealt with by the late General, which included maintenance requests and leave of absence requests. Kylo's communicator buzzed and rang most of the morning with requests and his data pad inbox was full of messages. Every time the communicator stopped his data pad would ping. It was never ending and Kylo was considering destroying both pieces of equipment by lightsaber or simply by throwing them against the wall in his quarter by mid-morning. _The execution of General Hux was unexpected but necessary_ , Kylo thinks to himself. _It was sooner than I planned, but at least we can avoid further deception from the crew now that Hux is gone. Especially with Rey joining me tomorrow, the last thing we need is a mutiny when she is finally mine. Although, it would be nice to have Hux still just to do all this ridiculous administrative work. Honestly, the amount of crap he dealt with daily…no wonder he was always in such a bad mood._

Kylo shakes the thought of regret away and sighs as he places the communicator on his desk next to his data pad. It wouldn't look good if he needed to request new equipment from the technician's so soon after Hux's departure. _No, I need them all to respect me so that my plan moves forward without any issues._

Kylo stops pacing and checks the time, his meeting with Captain Peavey would be starting shortly. Their meeting was scheduled after the death of Hux. Peavey wished to speak with Kylo regarding the strategy for destroying the Resistance once and for all, which Kylo agreed to meet so to determine if the Captain was worthy of keeping around. Captain Peavey had been around for a while in the First Order and there were no negative marks in his file. The meeting, should it go as planned, would help rid Kylo of the administrative burden he recently acquired.

Kylo hesitates for a second before he picks up his communicator and data pad. He ensures his cloak is clipped and exits his quarters to head towards the bridge. The main conference room was always reserved for meetings involving the Supreme Leader or the General of the First Order. Kylo enters the conference room and is happy to find Captain Peavey waiting for him. _"_ Good afternoon Captain Peavey", Kylo says as he takes his seat at the head of the table, which is to the left of the Captain.

"Good afternoon Supreme Leader Ren", Captain Peavey answers quickly.

"Well, let's get this meeting started. You wished to discuss a plan to destroy the Resistance. First, I would like an update on the status of the negotiations with thisAnonymous of the Resistance? Have they made contact since this morning?", Kylo asks Captain Peavey. _Let's see if he can handle surprises._

Captain Peavey shows no emotion at Kylo guiding the discussion and immediately provides his report. "Sir, we have not heard back from Anonymousyet. We believe they will be contacting us by the end of the day. Unfortunately, the last conversation was so short with Hux that we were unable to track their specific location. We can confirm the location is in Cloud City, but we have not been able to stay on the transmission long enough to confirm the exact location. They are very smart and have been disguising their voice, so we are unable to identify them against our database of known Resistance members. We are planning to keep them on the transmission longer this next time so that we can finish the tracking", Captain Peavey responds.

 _Good to see he is prepared for other topics._ "Do we have any suspects in mind? Who do you think this Anonymous could be?" Kylo asks further.

"We are not positive on the match, but we are suspecting Lando Calrissian. He has been known to frequent Cloud City in the past and he also was known to have worked with Darth Vader before quickly turning back to the Rebellion in the days of the Empire. We also suspect Poe Dameron, Sir. He has been known to be a distraction to help the Resistance escape us in the past, as you may recall back at D'Qar", Captain Peavy responds.

Kylo doesn't need to be reminded about the Dreadnought fiasco. Poe Dameron was successfully able to distract Hux via transmission, which led to the Dreadnought being taken down by Bombers. _Captain Peavey has excellent memory as well._

"I agree we need to find out who it is and their location. We should also suspect FN-2187. He saved his neck once to get out of the First Order and maybe he is remaining Anonymous to get us to agree to his safety before he admits to his identity", Kylo replies to the Captain.

"Yes, Sir. I will add him to the list of suspected persons that could be Anonymous", Captain Peavey replies as he types FN-2187 into his data pad.

 _Excellent._ "At the next transmission we will find out who it is we are dealing with. I will speak with them directly and end this once and for all. Once we know who they are we can order for surrender and have the Resistance ready for capture by tomorrow", Kylo says evenly.

"Sir, I agree. I will contact you directly when they make contact", Captain Peavey replies.

Kylo stays silent as Captain Peavey waits for him to open the next topic. He nods at Captain Peavey to indicate he may have the floor.

"Sir, the only other topic I would like to discuss freely is our plan to destroy the Resistance", Captain Peavey says.

"What are your thoughts, Captain?", Kylo replies. _Let's see what is on the Captain's mind._

"Sir, I am concerned we may be waiting too long to carry out an attack against the Resistance. We have confirmed they are in Cloud City, why not destroy the entire area now? Why do we need to discuss any further negotiations with this Anonymous _?_ " Captain Peavey says.

 _Interesting._ "Right now, the Resistance is trapped. Their entire fleet has been destroyed and they are all that is left between us and victory. The entire Galaxy is watching our next steps and we need to carry this last part out without mistake, Captain. Besides, it might be interesting to see what information this Anonymous could provide to the First Order in order to save their own skin. Perhaps it will be advantageous for us to be merciful, at least for now", Kylo says while examining the Captain's reaction.

"I understand and agree with this plan. If we destroy the system too soon then we risk losing respect for firing before asking questions. We should consider capturing the Resistance over destruction if possible", Captain Peavey responds confidently.

"I agree Captain. This will be the end of the Resistance", Kylo says with a smirk. "I support your plan for capturing the Resistance. We should surround the system with the fleet, restrict the ships going in and out in order to prevent an accidental escape of the Resistance. No ships in or out of the Bespin system without our clearance. Captain, go to the bridge and give the order for the fleet to move right away and I will be waiting for this Anonymous to contact us for further negotiations when they discover the blockade", Kylo requests of the older Officer.

"Sir, I am not able to order the fleet movement. Since there is no longer a General to the fleet you will need to personally give the orders on the bridge", Peavey responds cautiously.

"That is not necessary", Kylo replies.

Peavey looks at the Supreme Leader with confusion. "Sir?"

Kylo smiles at Peavey briefly before he turns his attention to a holo unit, which is on a table on the far wall opposite from where the men were sitting. "Please join me for an announcement, Captain".

The two men walk over and Kylo Ren opens a holo channel to the fleet of the First Order, "Attention, this is Supreme Leader Ren. Effective immediately, Edrison Peavey has been promoted to General of the First Order. In addition, I am also announcing the promotion of Dopheld Mitaka to Captain of the Finalizer II, which is hereby named the flagship of the First Order. Congratulations to the newly promoted officers. I will be assessing the remaining leadership in the next few weeks and will announce any further changes personally. General Peavey and Captain Mitaka have the authority of their positions. Please note that unless we are under fire from enemies, all orders for firing at this time must be cleared by the Supreme Leader until further notice. Thank you".

Kylo cuts the holo and turns back to Peavey who appears to be surprised by the sudden promotion. "As I said, it's not necessary. You have the authority to order fleet movement without my presence. Please do not take this promotion lightly, General, I trust you and your judgement. Both you and Captain Mitaka should understand after this morning there are consequences when my trust is taken for granted", Kylo says in a serious tone without looking away from the newly promoted General.

"Sir, I understand completely. I will not betray you. Thank you, Supreme Leader Ren," General Peavey responds as he bows deeply to Kylo Ren.

"Good. As you suggested, we are capturing not killing Resistance members until further notice. All ships in and out of Bespin should be cleared thru you and Captain Mitaka. Any unauthorized ships shall be captured, and those crew members will be interrogated as to why they are not following orders", Kylo orders of the newly appointed General.

"Yes sir", replies General Peavey as they both exit the conference room.

The pair head down the hallway towards the bridge when Mitaka approaches with a bow. "Supreme Leader Ren and General Peavey, thank you for the opportunity to further serve the First Order", Captain Mitaka replies as he bows to both men.

"Congratulations on your promotion Captain Mitaka. I know you will do everything in your power to ensure trust is restored in the First Order" Kylo responds. "I take honor and trust very seriously as you both are aware. You will work together and alert me to any threats you may receive to the First Order or to myself. This decision of your promotion was not made lightly given the recent discovery of Hux's treasonous acts. I am taking a chance to promote you both so early after his execution. Do not disappoint me", Kylo states flatly.

"Yes, Sir", both Peavey and Mitaka respond in unison.

"Please alert me when Anonymous contacts us to further discuss their terms for negotiation. General please update the Captain on our plans and contact me with any updates", Kylo responds before walking away from the pair who head towards the Bridge with their promotions and orders to relay.

Kylo Ren continues walking down the hallway towards his training room one floor down and near the Hangar where Hux was executed. _Now that the administrative work is passed along to Peavey and Mitaka, I can finally take a break and practice for my meeting with Rey. She may not have a lightsaber, but she is dangerous with her staff._

As Kylo steps off the lift and continues his walk to down the hallway, he notes to himself that the respect from his soldiers has been restored. Stormtroopers move out of his way and keep their distance. Leaders pretend to be engrossed with their data pads after nodding in his direction. Even the droids tend to keep their distance.

Kylo enters the training room and unclips his cloak placing it with his gloves on a bench near the training droids. He moves to activate them but stops suddenly when his thoughts are on Rey. He unclips his lightsaber smiles briefly as he thinks back to the fight on board the Finalize with Rey. _She looked amazing as she held my lightsaber threatening Snoke. She was ruthless fighting those guards and I still cannot believe she saved my life after everything I did to her._ His smile fades as he remembers her rejection to rule by his side. The pain he felt when she looked at him with tears in her eyes and refused to rule with him comes back to him now as if he were still standing in that throne room. He closes his eyes as anger begins to boil over and consumes his body. He tries to reign it his emotion, but hot tears pool at the corners of his eyes and slowly fall on his black tunic. His fist is shaking as he looks at his lightsaber again. _Why am I so upset about Rey now? Defeating the Resistance shouldn't be so difficult. Luke rejected and almost killed me. My own parents rejected to spend time with me. Now, Rey also rejects to lead with me. It's easier to be alone and to be feared._

With these thoughts, Kylo activates the training droids and they begin to move about the room. He wipes the wetness from his cheeks before activating his lightsaber with a flourish. All day he has been dealing with ridiculous administrative work, which has only fueled his frustration of being Supreme Leader. Kylo thought he would have Rey by his side by now. The frustration of waiting, the pain from rejection, and the anger of having to lead alone push him to move his body quickly towards the closest droid. He swipes down across the droid with his light saber which immobilizes the droid easily. He grits his teeth as he turns his body around to effectively separate the droid into two pieces which fall to the ground with a loud clank. As if the remaining droids realize their fate, they begin to move faster in the room to dodge the dark force user. Kylo smirks as he enjoys the challenge of the droids as they begin to panic. The droids are not able to hide for long. Kylo recalls memories of Rey each time he moves to strike a droid. Watching her shut the door on the Millennium Falcon door with no emotion. Two droids down. Rey embracing with that Pilot. Three droids down. Rey riding him in his dream. Four, then five droids down.

Kylo deactivates his lightsaber when he recalls the Rey of his dream. He looks around the room and sees the pieces of droids scattered around him. _They will barely be able to be used for scrap parts after this training session,_ Kylo realizes as he walks back to his cloak and clips it back in place. He runs one hand thru his hair as he still can feel the frustration working thru his veins. _Rey, your deadline is approaching._

Kylo sweeps out of the training room on that last final thought and heads to the bridge to determine the status of his fleet and if Anonymous has made contact. As Kylo enters the bridge, General Peavey provides an update, "Sir, the fleet is almost in position and the orders were given to the fleet's ranking officers that we are to capture all ships who are not cleared in and out of the system".

"Good, General. Any news from Anonymous?" Kylo asks.

"No, sir, not yet", replies the General.

"Very well, I will be in my quarters. Please alert me immediately once they make contact", Kylo responds.

"Yes, Sir".

Kylo exits the bridge and heads down the hallway to his quarters. He doesn't feel nearly as satisfied as he normally does after training and so a hot shower is his next plan. However, the force seems to have different plans for the Supreme Leader. When Kylo enters his room, he feels the force shift in the room as a connection is open. _Rey._

Kylo shuts his door and as he turns to address the connection he says, "Rey, you are here early. I didn't expect your surrender until this evening…". Kylo stops when he sees Rey is not the connection that has opened. The force has brought someone else to speak with Kylo today. This man is taller than Kylo but only by about an inch. He has dark blonde hair that falls on either side of his face in slight waves. He is wearing a dark Jedi tunic and dark robes with his hands clasped in front of his body. He stares at Kylo without emotion as if Kylo is a child.

"Who are you?" Kylo asks the man as he meets his gaze.

"You know who I am", the man replies bluntly. "I have come to speak with you, Grandson. I believe you need some guidance and I do not have long before I must return to the force."

"You are not my Grandfather. My Grandfather was Darth Vader" Kylo says with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You are Anakin, the man before my Grandfather became who he was truly meant to be. I have no desire to speak with you."

"Ah, I see you still have Darth Vader envy. Unfortunately, Darth Vader and Anakin were physically the same person. Therefore, you will have to listen to my words regardless if you desire it or not", Anakin says to Kylo ignoring the dismissal.

"Well, say what you must then and then go", Kylo says as he removes his cloak without looking at Anakin. He stands in front of his Grandfather with arms crossed defiantly.

Anakin sighs before he continues speaking, "Ben, I fear you do not fully understand the course of your actions and I have come to help guide you. You must not attack the Resistance. Rey will never forgive you if you kill her friends. Don't make the same mistake as me. Don't ignore the people who love you. Go to Rey, make peace with your Mother, please while you still have the chance or else you might be destroyed", Anakin says to his grandson sadly.

Kylo glares at his grandfather before replying, "I will not surrender to the Resistance when we are about to win. It would be foolish to give up now. I know what I am doing."

"What about your visions, Ben? The ones of you and Rey together? Don't you still care for her?", Anakin asks.

Kylo looks down at his feet with embarrassment. "Yes, I had a vision that Rey and I would be together. When I offered to rule the Galaxy with her, she refused me. I will do what I must to rule the Galaxy alone now. She will be destroyed with the Resistance if that is the path she chooses", he says slowly trying to sound confident.

Anakin shakes his head. "You know this is a mistake. She refused to join you because she doesn't want to rule the First Order. She thinks you want her for her power and to avoid having a Jedi scar your face during every lightsaber battle. By the way, I like the look", Anakin replies as he gestures to his own scar with a smile.

Kylo rolls his eyes and scoffs at his Grandfather. "I think you overestimate her abilities. She doesn't have proper training in the Force. She stole my training and used it against me. She also doesn't have your lightsaber anymore so fighting me would be foolish. Your lightsaber was destroyed back on the Finalizer, thanks to her. I know she is getting stronger, but I am the Supreme Leader now and I will destroy the Resistance. I am going to finish what you started Grandfather. The Galaxy will obey the First Order", Kylo Ren says proudly.

"Ben, please listen to me. Rey refused to join the First Order, not you. She would have joined you if you weren't so stubborn about needing to rule the Galaxy. She wants you but not the First Order. Do not underestimate her abilities as a Jedi. Yes, she trained later and thru your connection, but that does not negate her abilities. You must know that Rey will not quit. She will continue fighting for her freedom and the survival of the Resistance. She will never quit trying to save Ben Solo", Anakin says in a serious tone.

Kylo looks at his Grandfather as tears threaten to pool in his eyes again. Kylo says nothing for fear of losing control of his emotion.

"Ben, you still have a chance to change your path. It wasn't until I watched my son being tortured by the hands of my own Master that I truly knew my destiny. By then it was too late for me. When I destroyed Emperor Palpatine and saved Luke's life, I didn't do it for power or to lead the Galaxy. I did it to protect my children. Luke and Leia would have died that day if I had not killed Palpatine. You wouldn't be here if I had not turned back to the Light. This is your chance for redemption, Ben. This is your chance to go home and save your family", Anakin says to Kylo Ren without moving.

Kylo bows his head to avoid looking at the shimmering figure of Anakin as he is speaking. Kylo heard the story of how Darth Vader had overthrown Palpatine to save Luke from Snoke. Kylo never thought about this action being to save his own mother and uncle.

"Ben, I have heard your pleas to help 'finish' what I started all those years ago. Have you wondered why I never answered you?", Anakin asks but doesn't wait for a reply. "I never answered you because there is nothing left to finish. My path on the dark side, towards power and leading the Galaxy, and my plan to destroy the Rebellion all ended when I chose to kill Palpatine. Snoke convinced you to believe my destiny was left unfinished and that you would be the one to finish it once and for all. He was wrong. He manipulated you into believing these things to gain your trust and to use you for your power. Snoke is gone. You killed Snoke to save the people you love most in the Galaxy. Rey and Leia are still waiting for you to come home", Anakin says softly as he takes one step towards Kylo.

Kylo looks up at Anakin, "They are not waiting for me. They want to destroy the First Order and everything I worked towards all these years. They think I am a monster", Kylo says as his voice gets louder. "I am a monster. I have sacrificed everything to help build the First Order. I killed my Father, I have killed countless of innocent people on this path. Now, I am the Supreme Leader. I cannot turn away from that now".

"Yes, you have done terrible things. It may seem like this is your only choice, but it's never too late to change your destiny. You forget, I did horrible things as Darth Vader. I tortured my own daughter for information. I cut off my son's hand and nearly killed him in a lightsaber duel. Before that, I killed countless of innocent people to gain power to keep Padme from dying in childbirth. When I heard she still died despite my actions to try and save her, it was agony. In the end, I gave up my power and instead gave my life to protect my children", Anakin says sadly as he starts to fade back to the force. "I wouldn't be here speaking to you as Anakin if the Force didn't welcome me back from my past. My time is running out Ben. Remember, this is a path you must choose on your own. The force has shown you glimpses of a future with Rey. Whether they are as dreams or visions, they are only possibilities of what could happen and not what will happen. You and Rey both have a choice to make and this will shape the future of the galaxy. I hope you will consider what I have said, Ben. May the force be with you, always".

Kylo watches as his Grandfather's figure fades away to be one with the force again. The last thing Kylo sees is Anakin's smile as he takes one final look at his Grandson. Kylo is alone once again as he thinks thru the words from his Grandfather.

"I cannot go home. I am the Supreme Leader of the First Order", Kylo says to himself out loud. He doesn't feel so convinced about his title as he did earlier in the day. He shakes his head as he removes the gloves from his hands. His fingers fumble to remove his tunic and pants as he makes his way to the shower. He closes his eyes as he stands in the steam and hot water thinking about his options. _I could destroy the Resistance and be alone commanding this army, or I could go home and never be alone again. The administrative work of the First Order is ridiculous with so many regulations and rules. But I may not be welcomed back by the Resistance. They'll likely try to kill me before I even get close enough to Rey to tell her…._

His eyes snap open when he realizes his choice has been made. _This game will end now._

Kylo finishes his shower, dries quickly, and gets dressed in a clean tunic and pants. As he is putting on his boots, he hears his communicator goes off. _It had better not be another kriffing maintenance request from some radar technician…._

"Yes, what is it?", Kylo answers.

"Sir, Anonymous has just made contact. Would you like them patched to your quarters or will you join us on the bridge?", General Peavey responds quickly.

"Patch them in to me right away General", Kylo responds as he sits at his desk and runs a hand thru his damp hair.

"Yes Sir, they are coming over now", the General responds.

Kylo hears the connection to the transmission open and he responds without emotion in his voice, "This is Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order".

Kylo tenses in anticipation as the mechanical voice responds back to his introduction, "Hello Kylo Ren. I feel honored you wish to handle this matter personally. I take it you are aware of the requests I have made previously to your staff?", the Anonymous voice responds thru the decoder.

"Yes, I am aware of the terms you have requested. You must know that your requests will not be approved. The First Order is waiting for my order to destroy you and the remaining Resistance members as we speak, and you have the audacity to request credits and for mercy. I would like to know why you think I would want to negotiate with a traitor of the Resistance", Kylo responds with a sneer.

"Yes, we are all aware of the fleet's movement", Anonymous responds. "I doubt you would destroy the entire system just to destroy about 25 Resistance members, that seems a little overboard even for you Kylo Ren. What I am requesting doesn't seem like much in comparison to your entire fleet".

"Well, the request is denied. You must provide something else of value if you wish to negotiate with the First Order. We already know where you are hiding. Therefore, I propose you reveal yourself as the coward you are so we will be able to tell the Galaxy of your traitorous act after the destruction of the Resistance", Kylo says back to the mystery person.

"Hux was right, you are very difficult to work with. Can you put him on the transmission to discuss the negotiations? If what you say is true and you plan to destroy the system, then why not carry out your order", Anonymous taunts mechanically. "You and I both know who you are looking for and why you wait to destroy the Resistance. You will lose this game if you continue to avoid negotiations with me. We have more than one thing that you want, and you will negotiate with us or lose everything", Anonymous replies in the robotic tone of the voice decoder.

"Well, let me be the first to notify you that General Hux has been executed for treason against the First Order and against the Supreme Leader. I do not take threats to the First Order lightly. If you have nothing else to propose for negotiations, then I shall order my fleet to destroy the system as you suggested and you can die with nothing", Kylo replies keeping his voice even as he grips the table in anger. _How dare they use Rey as a bartering tool._

"That is unfortunate about General Hux. I guess my only option is to speak with you after all", Anonymous responds.

Kylo says nothing to buy the First Order time with the tracker. _Let's hope we can finally track this Anonymous and the Resistance._

"Well then I propose we set up a meeting between you and our Ambassador to discuss further negotiations on a neutral planet, such as Tatooine or Naboo. I warn you Kylo Ren, the Galaxy is aware of the behavior you displayed on Crait and they are not happy. I doubt they would like to be led by a someone who would rather fight a ghost than the Resistance. We will not be destroyed as easily as you might think. Negotiating may be your only choice to avoid the destruction of your beloved First Order", _Anonymous_ replies.

"How do we know this meeting isn't a way for you to escape the First Order?", Kylo asks with interest while hiding his increasing anger at the taunts.

"We amend our terms for a continuation of the cease fire on both sides. You have our word that we will not leave the system, except to send our Ambassador to meet you in person. However, if your fleet decides to open fire on the system during your meeting with our Ambassador, then they will execute you without mercy", Anonymous responds mechanically.

Kylo thinks the options through and slowly responds, "Who is this 'Ambassador'?"

"You already know who it will be, _Supreme Leader._ Rey of Jakku will meet you as Ambassador to the Resistance to negotiate our terms in person. Do you accept our invitation for this meeting?" Anonymous asks quickly.

Kylo is quiet as he considers declining the meeting with Rey, but then he cannot keep himself from meeting her in person. _How convenient this is right at our personal deadline. This will be easier than I thought._

"I accept the invitation. Negotiations will be discussed in person on Naboo between myself and _Rey of Jakku_ ", Kylo responds evenly. "Do you accept Naboo as an acceptable location for the meeting?"

"I accept. We will have a transport available for her to leave the system out of the main hangar in Cloud City to keep our location a secret. We request her shuttle have clearance out of the system so she is not blown away before she can make the jump to Naboo", Anonymous says.

"I will ensure proper clearance is provided for one shuttle that will be investigated by my troops before she leaves to ensure she is alone. We must have confirmation from our troops that Rey that she is on board and alone or the Resistance will be destroyed", Kylo says as he tries to hide his frustration with having to go thru these details.

"Very good. One last thing, Supreme Leader. Do not arrive with Stormtroopers or anyone else or they will be terminated. You of all people know how powerful she is in a fight", Anonymous responds.

"You have my word as Supreme Leader, I will arrive alone", Kylo responds keeping his temper from boiling over.

"Excellent. Please prepare to meet on Naboo in 3 standard hours", replies Anonymous and they cut off the transmission before Kylo Ren can dismiss the transmission himself.

Kylo places his head in his hands and sighs. _Rey, I hope you know what your friends are planning for you._


	6. Chapter 6 - Preparations

Chapter 6 – Preparations

"Poe and Finn are not going to be on board with your plan. They despise Ben and I doubt they will agree to the idea that I go and meet Ben alone on a different planet. he will turn to our side. I am confident your plan will work, and Ben will be coming home. But they will fight us on this plan", Rey says to the smiling General as they zip up the garment bag with the finishes dress.

"Rey, they will come around. Besides, I am still the General of the Resistance. They must follow orders despite how they feel about Ben or you. If we explain how this plan is in the best interest of the entire Resistance and the Galaxy then they will come around", Leia says to Rey as they start to the conference room. "Regardless, they have no choice in the matter. The plan is already underway without them knowing. We are only telling them about our plan to avoid them pulling a secret mission like Canto Bight all over again", Leia says shaking her head. "I don't want them attempting to chase after you and causing the First Order to destroy us all when you haven't had even had time to negotiate with Ben. I know this will work. You look absolutely stunning in this dress and Ben will not be able to resist coming home", Leia says back to Rey.

Rey smiles at Leia and nods. Between the dress, Leia's lightsaber, and the morning's training session, Rey feels more confident than ever.

"Rey, I think it's best to keep the lightsaber a secret for now. Why don't you take the dress and your lightsaber to your quarters and we will meet back in the meeting room. I need to have a word with Lando and check on the patients in the Med Bay", Leia says.

Rey nods her agreement and heads to her room. Meanwhile Leia walks down to Lando's office and knocks before entering.

"Good afternoon", Lando says in a tired voice. He is sitting at his desk with his legs propped up and he is nursing a hot coffee when Leia walks in to the office.

"Good afternoon, Lando. We don't have much time before the meeting with the group. I have a plan to defeat the First Order and it will involve another favor from you if possible", Leia says as she enters his office. The room is large of course with pictures of Lando meeting various famous persons throughout the galaxy hanging on the wall. Lando takes his legs off the desk when Leia moves to lean against where his legs were casually. Before she asks for her favor, Leia notices one picture frame sitting on the desk that she picks up when she sees her younger self looking back at her next to a smiling Han, Luke, Chewie, and Lando. The picture is of their small group on Endor after the second Death Star was destroyed and right before her wedding to Han. She looks up at Lando with tears in her eyes, "I didn't know you had this picture", Leia says sadly.

"Yes, it's my favorite out of all of them. Out of all the adventures I have had in my life, my favorite was that day. If I remember correctly, you insisted on getting married to Han that night. It was bold, but I wouldn't expect anything less from Princess Leia, the Hutt Slayer", Lando says before sipping his caf.

Leia laughs at the nickname. "I would love a copy of this picture by the way. I am afraid that I have only one picture saved from my old office on Hosnian Prime. I was hoping to go back and get the rest from my previous apartment, but unfortunately that will not be happening", Leia says with a sigh. She tried to gather most of her things before leaving Hosnian Prime, but unfortunately needed to rush out when the New Senate began to crumble when the First Order began to become more prominent.

"Which picture do you have?", Lando asks curiously.

"A picture of Ben sitting with Han in the Millennium Falcon. It was a few days before Ben left for the Jedi training academy and Han was in town for once. The Senate was meeting in full force, but I found time for us to make a quick trip to Naboo– just the three of us – to Varykino. Han let Ben sit on his lap and fly the Falcon as we jumped out of hyperspace above Naboo. I have never seen Han and Ben so happy. I think that was the last time they saw each other before Starkiller", Leia stops talking as she realizes tears are falling slowly from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks as she talks about the memory. She wipes the tears away and smiles sadly at Lando before clearing her throat. "Well, I didn't come here to reminisce the entire time. I think we can do that plenty after this war is over and we have Ben home", Leia says with resolve.

"Leia, Ben isn't coming home. He is in it too deep. You need to let him go", Lando says as he gets up from his desk to refill his mug. Leia follows his movements and looks out the window to the clouds. '

"Lando, my plan is to bring him home. He doesn't think he has a choice and he must be Supreme Leader. If there is a time to try it is now. We can end the war by turning Ben back to the Light and he can disband the First Order. I have already started planning with Rey. She has agreed to meet with him in person on Naboo and negotiate for the end of the war on our behalf", Leia says with a smirk that Lando picks up on right away.

"Leia Organa, you are playing matchmaker. This is a war and these kids are playing right into your plan", Lando says shaking his head. He is silent for a minute as he drinks his caf considering Leia's idea. "Why do you think this will work?" Lando asks with curiosity.

"They care for each other. They don't know it yet, but they are _the_ balance of the force. She is the light and he is the darkness. Lando, I know it sounds weird, but they have a special force bond. Together, they can be unstoppable. We cannot have them be with the First Order together or we will all die. We need Ben to come home", Leia says to Lando as he shakes his head in disbelief.

"I don't think this will work. Ben is too far gone. He killed Han", Lando says shaking his head.

"Lando, Ben also killed Snoke. He killed Snoke to save Rey. She and Ben defeated the Praetorian Guards together" Leia says as Lando looks at her in surprise.

"Ben killed Snoke. That hasn't been reported. The First Order reported that Snoke was killed by an assassin from the Resistance. Hux put out the news himself when they announced your escape from Crait. That was right before I received your message to land here" Lando says thoughtfully.

"Lando, Hux was lying. He did that so the Supreme Order would have a reason to hunt us without the Galaxy giving us sympathy. They want people to believe we killed Snoke, but they are starting to know better. I have heard that Ben ordered the execution of Hux this morning", Leia says as Lando nearly chokes on his caf.

"You see, Ben is already clearing out the most dedicated and darkest First Order members so he can have an easier time getting rid of the First Order", Leia says confidently. "This will work. I know it. We can bring him home and end this war. I know Rey can bring him home. I can feel Ben's resolve in the dark side waiver as she gets stronger. This is our only shot".

"I believe you Leia. I don't need any more convincing. However, it's those boys in your crew that will need convincing. Poe and Finn are crazy about this Rey. They may be with other girls right now, but they both have feelings for Rey", Lando says seriously.

"How do you know that they have feelings for Rey?", Leia asks.

"They told me last night when we were all drinking", Lando says as he looks away from Leia and takes another sip of his caf. "Well, when they were all drinking. Truth be told, I am always drinking these days", Lando says as he lifts his cup with a cheers motion and then takes a long sip.

Leia rolls her eyes and grabs his cup. She sniffs and takes a sip of his caf that she now realizes is mixed with whiskey. She nods appreciatively as she hands his cup back to him and stands up to make her own cup as she continues her thoughts. "Well, Rey has no idea the trouble she is in with these men. Ben loves her. He killed Snoke to rescue her and then he proposes they rule together. Of course, she refused, but he still seeks her out. He is not going about this the right way and he needs our help. He ordered the cease fire to save her again. He gave her an ultimatum that she either joins him tonight or we will all die. I doubt he will move forward with this order, but he is confident that she will come to him", Leia says now holding her own cup of whiskey and caf.

"I thought that cease order was odd. That makes sense that he is holding out, but I thought it was to save you", Lando replies.

"I think part of it might be, or at least I hope it is, but I think it's mostly for Rey", Leia says sadly sitting back down across from Lando.

"Well, what is the plan and your favor? I am already deep in the Resistance side at this point and the First Order will either stop the war or they will kill us. Either way I can help" Lando says clinking his mug against Leia's before they both sip their drinks.

"We will need a small unarmed transport to get Rey from here to Naboo and possibly back. However, if this plan goes well, she may not need to come back here", Leia replies.

"Done. That's easy Leia. I have a transport in the main hangar reserved 24/7 and it's unarmed. Mostly it's for meetings on nearby planets, but it should be no problem getting to Naboo", Lando responds with a smile.

"Lando, you are the best. I really appreciate the hospitality and the resources. I will find a way to pay you back after the war is over", Leia says with a smile.

"Leia, if this war ends because of my help, again, then that is all the payment I need. War is not good for my business if there is a blockade around the planet. Besides, if the war ends you won't need to leave for a new base and you can stay here for as long as you like", Lando says hopefully.

Leia smiles at her old friend and realizes the meaning behind his words. "Let's see what happens between Ben and Rey. It is time I stop running away and settle somewhere. Don't tell anyone, but this is the end of General Leia after this I'm afraid", Leia says smiling at Lando. "I may take you up on your offer. Let's see what happens after the meeting between Rey and Ben".

"Oh, also we need to leave the Millennium Falcon here hidden if we do manage to escape. We cannot be seen in that ship until this is all over".

"Deal, General", Lando says smiling as well. They clink their glasses together and finish their caf in unison.

"Alright, let's go mess with the kid's hangovers", Lando says helping Leia up as she starts to laugh.

"I think that is a great idea", Leia says as they walk out of his office.

* * *

Rey sighs as she walks from her room and towards the large conference meeting room. She feels weird without her lightsaber, like she is missing part of herself. She stops in the hallway contemplating going back and clipping it under her shirt, so it's still hidden, but instead takes a deep breath and continues walking. She enters the meeting room and finds Poe, Finn, and Connix sipping caf silently. Rey smirks as she notices Connix holding Poe's hand as she leans her head on his shoulder with her eyes closed. Finn is leaning his head against his arm with his eyes also closed like he is sleeping.

"Good afternoon", Rey greets them cheerfully.

"Ugh, Rey not so loud. We are not quite awake yet", Finn says holding his forehead after being jolted awake from Rey's greeting.

"Yeah, where were you last night? We tried to hold off celebrating until you arrived, but the party went on without you I'm afraid", Connix says with a smile.

"That's quite alright. I went to bed early so I could get up and train this morning. I am glad you all had a good time. Did I miss anything important?", Rey says

Connix blushes and glances at Poe who returns her smile. "Do not play cards against Lando. Also, he will drink you under the table so choose wisely if you decide to drink with him", Poe says as he rubs his temples.

"Poe and I are together now", Connix says smiling at Rey unable to control the news any longer. "Apparently, we have both had feelings for each other for some time and last night helped us realize our connection", Connix continues as she stares at Poe's face. Poe smiles at Connix and kisses her softly on the lips.

"C'mon guys, get a room", Finn says while rolling his eyes and giving Rey a look of disgust.

Rey tries to hold back a laugh at his reaction.

"Sorry buddy. Rose will be out of the med bay soon and then you then won't be so grumpy", Poe says while slapping his friend on the back. "We can all celebrate again tonight. Rose will be rejoining the group and we can party with Lando again. Rey, will you be joining us tonight?" Poe asks Rey as Connix traces his hand with her fingers and leans her head back on his shoulder.

"Thank you, but I am afraid I will have to pass again. I am sure you all will still have fun without me", Rey says not looking at the group. _As much as I would love to be a fifth wheel, I won't be here tonight. I have my own plans with another man in the Galaxy,_ she smirks as she thinks about how Ben Solo will be hers tonight.

"Your loss Rey", Connix says while placing a kiss on Poe's cheek.

"Yeah, I guess so", Rey says without looking at the pair. Her thoughts linger on Ben and her together alone for the first time… as Poe and Finn attempt to persuade Rey to reconsider.

Before Rey can decline the invitation again, Lando, D'Acy, and Rose enter the meeting room. "Good afternoon. Leia will be in momentarily. She is checking on the patients in the med-bay. I can announce that Rose has been discharged and Leia sent her to join the meeting", D'Acy says to the group as she reluctantly takes a seat next to Connix and Poe.

"Hey Rose!" Poe, Connix, and Finn all say in unison.

"Hi guys!", she replies. She looks over and sees Rey and holds out her hand, "I'm Rose".

"I'm Rey, nice to meet you officially Rose", she smiles at the girl and gestures for her to sit next to Finn at the table. Rey sits down by herself across from the remaining Resistance members and notices how she feels out of place.

"Well, let's not waste this time. Leia should be here shortly. How did our research come along for a new base?", D'Acy asks of the group.

"Jakku was confirmed to be neutral, however there was a small First Order representation there recently. We believe they were scouting the planet in case we returned after the escape from Crait. I'm afraid that Jakku may not be a good match for a hideout right now", Connix reports.

Finn smiles at Rey who rolls her eyes back at Finn.

"Okay, what about you Poe and Finn? Any other updates?", D'Acy asks the men.

"Onoam was reviewed and could be a good place to be short term until our fleet is rebuilt. It is close to Naboo and is typically home to the wealthy elite members of the Naboo. It could be both good and bad to choose this option. The wealthy residents may want to help rebuild our fleet if they support the Resistance", Poe suggests. "Of course, we could be running right into a trap seeing as it is so close to Naboo and Leia's biological Mother was from Naboo. The First Order may think of this and send spies or ships".

Rey's ears perk up when she hears this information. "Wait, I thought Leia was from Alderaan", Rey says to the group curiously. Before anyone can answer Leia enters the room and answers for Poe, "My birth mother was from Naboo. My adoptive parents were from Alderaan", Leia says as she closes the meeting room door behind her. "Sorry I am late. I see Lando has been more than a gracious host by the looks of Poe, Finn, and Connix", Leia replies shaking her head at Lando.

"Eh, they all needed to relax after the escape from Crait. It was a necessity", Lando says with a wink back at Leia.

"I agree. We all need to relax. However, we all need to be on alert as well. The First Order is placing a blockade around Bespin and the system as we speak. I went by the Med Bay and the remaining patients will be released by dinner tonight. Also, our technicians are working on analyzing any weaknesses in the blockade. However, it does not look good. The First Order is huge, and we will likely not be able to leave anytime soon", Leia says to the group.

The group look around at each other and the room is silent for a few seconds as they realize this could be the end for the Resistance. "I'm afraid we may be here until we can find a way past the blockade so we can escape. Even then, there is a chance that they could continue tracking us to wherever we end up next", Leia says to the group.

The groups stare at the General silently. She let's the silent hang in the room for a moment longer before speaking again.

"Now, there is a plan that Rey and I have been discussing this morning. I will preface the discussion by saying this plan is risky and is likely our only shot at survival. I also know that you two will not like the plan one bit", Leia says pointing at Finn and Poe.

"Well, whatever the plan is we can handle it. Finn and I are more than ready to take on the First Order", Poe says as he slaps his friend on the back.

"That's right. I know the inner workings of their ships. We can still find a way out of this mess", Finn says nodding to Poe and Connix. Finn looks over at Rose and shares a meaningful look.

"Well, I am sorry to disappoint you both, but this plan doesn't involve you", Leia says with a straight face.

"What do you mean General?", Poe asks as he straightens up to his full height in the seat. He exchanges a glance with Finn before looking at Leia. Leia smiles at the pair of men and then looks at Rey. The pair follow her glance and Rey is smirking back at them silently across the table.

"Rey will be meeting with Kylo Ren tonight to negotiate for peace with the First Order. I am confident she will be able to handle the job. A one-on-one meeting with Kylo Ren may be our one shot to bring peace to the Galaxy", Leia says to the group.

There is silence before Poe, Finn, and Connix erupt in overlapping disagreements.

"No way, she cannot go alone. I will go with her and we can take the First Order down internally with Poe. It is too dangerous. It will be better if we all go together", Finn says.

Poe speaks louder over Finn, "We cannot send one person alone to discuss negotiations with that monster. He will kill her before negotiations even get started".

"I agree with Poe and Finn, General. We need to think of another way", says Connix mixing in her opinion with the comments.

Rose, Lando, and D'Arcy are silent watching the three hungover Resistance members argue with the General. Rose smirks and places her head in her hand on the table as she realizes the three will not win this argument.

"Enough!", Leia states raising her voice. Poe, Connix, and Finn all sit back in their seats. There is silence as Leia looks at each person with a pointed look.

"Leia, please. Rey cannot go alone. It is too dangerous", Finn says not looking at Rey.

"Rey, would you like to say something?" Leia asks looking at Rey.

Rey stands up and moves next to Leia. "I am going. I will meet Kylo Ren and negotiate for the end of the war and the First Order. I am confident this plan will work", Rey replies to the entire group.

"Rey, you cannot-" Finn tries to protest but Rey interrupts him.

"No, Finn", she holds up her hand to silence the ex-Stormtrooper and gives him a fierce look to make him understand she has already made her decision.

"I do not need to be protected. I have already agreed with Leia's plan. Preparations have already begun, while you, Poe, and Connix were sleeping in this morning. I alone must go to Kylo Ren to save the Resistance", Rey says. "You and Poe both know firsthand what he is capable of doing. He almost killed you once on Starkiller base", She says to Finn before turning to Poe, "And he nearly tortured you to death. I cannot allow that to happen again.

"Rey, please reconsider. You are one person. You should not do this alone", Poe says.

Finn winces at Poe's words as he watches Rey take a deep breath before responding to Poe.

"I shouldn't have to explain why I am perfectly capable of doing anything on my own. I realize how little you know about me. Let me provide some insight into my qualifications. I am an orphan scavenger from Jakku. I spent majority of my life scavenging parts to sell so that I could have something to eat. There were days where I had to go without food or water because my parts weren't good enough. I had to learn how to fight off rapists and thieves ever since I was a little girl. I have adapted and survived in some of the worst conditions, alone, for my entire life. Most recently, I have survived two encounters with Kylo Ren and my power with the force grows exponentially every minute that we sit here and argue about my capabilities. I believe I am more than qualified to handle this job on my own", Rey says looking between Poe and Finn. She looks at Rose who smiles and gives a discreet thumbs up. Rey meets her smile with a nod of her own before looking back to Finn and Poe.

Poe and Finn sit back in their chairs silently while Connix crosses her arms and stares at the table emotionless.

"I am confident Leia's plan will work. You will not interfere with my meeting with Kylo Ren. The Resistance needs you here. Leave Kylo Ren to me", Rey says confidently.

Poe, Finn, and Connix are silent and avoid Rey's gaze as she sits back down in the chair across from them. Rey glances at Leia who beams at Rey before turning to the group.

"Now, can we move forward?", Leia says ending any further discussion of her plans.

"Yes, General", Finn, Poe, and Connix all reply at once.

"Good. Lando, Rey, and I will finish finalizing the plans for the meeting with Kylo Ren. The meeting takes place tonight, so we need to finish preparations immediately. I have spoken with Chewbacca and Lando before this meeting. When we leave Bespin, we will be leaving in a new shuttle and one not as recognizable as the Falcon. The ship will stay here with Lando and until the end of this war we need to be in a ship nobody will immediately recognize as being associated to the Resistance. Lando has agreed to supply us with a large enough transport that will be armed and capable of hyperspace jumps", Leia announces.

"Thank you Lando", D'Acy says to Lando.

"You're welcome. I am happy to have the old girl back even if I won't be able to fly her around for a while", Lando replies.

"Finn and Poe, you will begin loading supplies into the new transport after this meeting. Rose, analyze the engines and see if there are any upgrades we can perform. Perhaps there is a way to cloak the transport to avoid being tracked thru lightspeed?" Leia says to Rose who nods confidently. "Connix and D'Acy will analyze Onoam further to locate the best place to land. I have been there years ago and there could be a location near the mines that could offer a temporary hideout", Leia says Connix and D'Acy.

Everyone nods their agreement and stands to exit the room. "Good. Everyone has their orders. Finn, Poe, Connix, and Rose, please note that everyone is ordered to stay on Bespin and in this apartment. Nobody is leaving to rescue Rey or to join her on the mission. If anyone attempts an unauthorized flight from Bespin with the blockade, they will be destroyed by the First Order. They will risk the rest of us being found and destroyed as well. Do you understand?", Leia says in a serious tone.

"Yes, General", they respond in unison.

Lando and Rey stay behind in the meeting room with Leia as the group leave the room to tend to their orders from Leia. Rey avoids the glares from Poe, Finn, and Connix as they leave the room.

Once the meeting door closes, Leia speaks again. "Rey, I apologize for not telling you about the plans for the Falcon sooner. I spoke with Chewie and he agreed with this plan already. He is already working on pulling any equipment from the Falcon that we may need on the new transport. Chewie has requested to return home to Kashyyyk as soon as we are free to leave. I granted his request immediately. He has lost Han and he needs to be with his friends and family", Leia says.

"Leia, I support the plan for a new transport completely. What is the plan for tonight? How are we going to contact Ben to set up the meeting? Do you want me to open a force connection?" Rey asks Leia hopefully.

"No, Rey. The meeting between you two has already been confirmed to happen on Naboo", Leia says.

"What do you mean? We haven't contacted him yet, how can we already have the location confirmed?", Rey asks with a confused look. Lando is also staring at Leia waiting for her response.

Leia sighs and pauses before answering. "I have been in communications with the First Order since we landed in Cloud City. I spoke with General Hux yesterday evening and this morning. I thought I could negotiate for our escape with just him. However, my negotiations ended with Hux when Ben ordered for Hux to be executed this morning", Leia says as she sits down at the conference table next to Rey.

"What do you mean Ben ordered him to be executed?", Rey says with her eyebrows raised.

"Well, I am not exactly sure of the details, but Ben told me that Hux was executed for treason when I spoke with him right before this meeting. I offered a meeting with our Ambassador, which is you Rey, and he almost jumped at the idea to see you in person. He agreed to meet on Naboo. You will be granted access to leave Bespin and jump to Naboo to meet with him for negotiations. He agreed one unarmed transport will be able to leave", Leia says to Lando before he can ask about escaping.

Lando and Rey exchange glances before looking at the General.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I wanted to get the negotiations started before they started to send troops or worse destroy the entire Bespin system. I think Ben's order for executing Hux and the cease fire saved us. Please do not tell the others of my contact with the First Order just yet. They need to be in the dark on this until the negotiations are completed and Ben is home", Leia says in a serious tone.

"Leia, what if they are lying to you. How do we know he will not harm Rey or keep his word on the cease fire? Did he know it was you?" Lando asks in a concerned tone.

"No, I used a voice decoder. They also were unable to trace my communication. Artoo made sure my connection was encrypted so it bounces around the planet long before they can trace the signal. I told them I would remain anonymous until they met with Rey", Leia replies.

"Well, you took a chance Leia. I am impressed with your ability to negotiate with Ben given everything that has happened", Lando says sitting down at the table.

"He is still my son. I want him back in my life and I know there is still good him. There is anger, definitely, but now that Snoke is gone he is more Ben than Kylo. We just need Ben to see that and come home", Leia says in a tired voice.

"Well, I understand why you kept it a secret Leia. Did he say anything else about why he executed Hux?", Rey asks.

"Yes, I am curious about that as well. There has been nothing reported out by the First Order about this information", Lando says.

"No, he only said he ordered Hux's execution that morning due to treason. My guess is Hux was planning to overthrow Ben and well, Ben must have found out", Leia says.

"That makes sense. If they were planning a mutiny or to overthrow the Supreme Leader that could be grounds for treason", Lando replies.

"It's interesting. But I don't think it's something we need to worry about now. If anything, Hux's death led to us speaking directly with Ben and arranging this meeting on Naboo. Rey, you are going to love it there. I will contact Ben now to arrange the meeting spot and arrangements for dinner on Naboo", Leia says. "Rey, why don't you go freshen up again and I will send a droid to help with your hair and makeup. Lando, can we use your office to contact Ben?"

"Of course, it should have everything you need to contact them. We can have Artoo meet us there as well", Lando says as he moves to the door to the conference room. "Rey, I can have lunch brought to your quarters if you prefer? That way those other two won't bother you about this meeting", Lando offers with a head tilt towards where Poe and Finn were just sitting.

"That would be great Lando. Thank you", Rey says as she stands up to leave the meeting room.

"Rey, I will be coming by in about one hour to help you finish getting ready", Leia says as they walk out of the meeting room.

"Sounds great. Thank you, Leia,", Rey responds as they go their separate ways in the hallway. Rey immediately heads to her quarters to hit the fresher before the droid shows up. Leia walks with Lando in the opposite direction to his office.

* * *

Leia and Lando enter his office once again. Artoo is already waiting on Leia when they arrive. "Hi Artoo. It's time to contact Ben again, prep the decoy beacons and voice decoder", Leia asks the droid as he replies with short beeps. Leia smiles at the droid and sits down at Lando's desk as the man joins her with a fresh drink. She takes a sip quickly as the connection opens to the Finalizer II.

"This is Anonymous from the Resistance. Put me thru to Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order", Leia requests thru the communicator.

"Yes, right away", a voice responds on the other end. A moment goes by in silence.

"This is Supreme Leader Kylo Ren", Ben's voice says a moment later.

"Hello Kylo Ren, we have confirmed a transport will be available for Rey tonight. We are requesting the meeting to take place in Varykino and for dinner to be provided.", Leia states simply.

Ben is silent for a second, which causes Leia and Lando to exchange worried glances.

"Are you kidding me? Why are you insisting on these details? You know that you are walking a fine line already Anonymous", Ben asks in an annoyed tone.

Lando places his hand over his mouth to hide his laughter as Leia continues to bother her son, the Supreme Leader with planning the details of this meeting.

"We request these arrangements be provided or we will cancel. We know your precious First Order is falling apart from the inside. We know your weaknesses", Leia responds back.

"Is that right", Ben responds in a curious tone.

The silence stretches longer this time and Leia and Lando exchange more worries glances while they await Ben's reply.

"The First Order does not have time for this. In fact, your Resistance friends do not have time for me to attend a dinner with this Scavenger from Jakku. That is why I will grant the requests for dinner in Varykino. However, in exchange for dinner I will order a small battalion of Stormtroopers to be stationed at the main hanger. They will be present when your Ambassador leaves in order to search her and the ship", Ben responds.

Lando shakes his head and Leia shrugs before she responds back thru the voice decoder. "Once the meeting is over the Stormtroopers should be removed from Bespin", Leia says thru the disguise.

"Agreed", Ben answers and clicks off the communication impatiently.

Leia checks the connection has ended and gives the nod to Lando.

Lando and Leia take a deep breath. "That was easier than I thought it would be", Lando says as he gives a little laugh. "I am still not confident he wants to come home, Leia".

"I guess we will see what the outcome is tonight", Leia says with a sigh.

* * *

Rey is starting to feel nervous as the time passes in her quarters. She is unable to sit still or step into the fresher to relax so she cleans up her room to ensure the droid and Leia have enough space in the small quarters. Rey has never worn makeup before and is not sure what to expect. She carefully moves her dress and lightsaber to the small closet and closes the door, so they don't get dirty. She looks around and feels the room is as neat as it could be before letting her hair down and getting undressed for the fresher. As she strips down to her underwear, she feels the air buzz around her with static electricity. _Kriff. Not now. I am half naked Ben Solo._ She quickly pulls a towel from the chair and wraps it around her torso as Ben comes into view. He is standing with his back to Rey leaning over a desk with his fists placed on the desk in frustration.

"Hello Ben", she says softly. "I guess you just couldn't wait to see me?", she says seductively.

"I guess not, Scavenger. And why do you insist that I opened _this_ connection?", Ben says back to Rey not looking at her.

"Well, seeing as you have clothes on and I don't, I seriously doubt I started this one", Rey says teasingly.

"Ah, well maybe deep down you really did want to see me while you were naked" Ben says as he turns around to face Rey. "Well, at least you covered up in time. Too bad I wasn't facing the other direction before this connection opened up".

Rey scoffs and rolls her eyes as she attempts to keep her towel covering her torso.

"Why are you being so shy? You saw me shirtless. It's only fair you know", Ben responds stepping closer to Rey sensing her feeling more nervous the closer he gets. "Oh Rey, you know you don't have to feel so nervous. This isn't even the part you should be worried about. Just wait until later." Ben says as he backs her up to the wall in her quarters. He is standing inches away from her as she stares him down and pushes against his chest with her hand to give her space.

"I think you are the one who should be worried for later", Rey says pushing Ben away as she moves away from the wall to avoid being cornered again.

"We'll see", Ben says.

Rey sucks air in as he uses the response from Starkiller. She closes her eyes as she remembers how her body and mind gave away her desire for Ben back then. _Kriff,_ Rey thinks to herself as her body begins to react to his deep voice again.

Ben smirks at her response.

"I thought so. You are excited for this meeting tonight. Good. I am excited too", Ben says as runs his hand thru his hair following Rey's movements.

"Did you hear from Anonymous yet?", Rey asks changing the subject. "I believe that they were planning to contact you about where exactly I need to meet you tonight. Did you speak with them?" Rey asks as she sits on the side of the bed and continues to hold the towel to hide her naked torso as best as she can.

"Yes, I just finished speaking with this 'Anonymous' before this connection opened between us" he says motioning to the table he was standing at moments ago. "I am getting very impatient with these demands. First, they want money, then they want us to meet, and now dinner? This doesn't seem like a negotiation to me", Ben says to Rey with his arms crossed. "If you wanted a dinner date then you could have just asked".

"Well, I was told it was a meeting to negotiate. I was told dinner would be provided and that I was to negotiate with you. Nothing more. I think we should wait to discuss anything further until we are together in person", Rey says stiffly.

"Okay. Fine", Ben says putting his hands up in mock surrender. "You realize that I am not going to negotiate right? I agreed to this meeting for one reason only. You were given a deadline, which ends tonight. You will join me, or the Resistance will die", Ben says clasping his hands behind his back.

"I figured that might be why you agreed to meet with me", Rey says as she leans back on the bed letting the towel barely cover her chest. "I think we should at least attempt to negotiate for a middle ground. You never know Ben Solo, you may like what I have to say", Rey says arching her back a little bit.

"What are you doing? Are you flirting with me?", Ben says in an amusing voice.

"I would never flirt with the Supreme Leader of the First Order. I am a Jedi, sir", Rey says as she smirks back and then bites down on her lower lip seductively.

He nods his head before answering considering his words carefully. "Well Jedi, remember I can and will take whatever I want. You will be mine when you get to Naboo", Ben says as he takes a step closer to Rey.

Rey's breath catches in her chest as Ben pushes images of Rey bending over a bed as Ben pulls her hair and forces himself inside of her as she screams out his name. She blinks the visions away and shuts her mind to Ben as she covers herself with the towel abruptly.

"You talk a lot about taking things whenever you want, but then things always seem to slip away from you", Rey says as she stands up to move to the fresher trying to close out the connection between them.

"Don't play games with me", Ben says shaking his head. "You are only teasing me because I am not there in person. Once we are on Naboo together you will have no choice but to talk to me and there will be no shutting me out of a connection", Ben says finally.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you in person Ben Solo", Rey says as she walks closer to Ben who takes a step back at her approach. Rey smirks at him and continues, "This time you won't be begging me to join you. No, you will be begging me to finish what I start tonight", Rey says as she pushes images into his head. Ben's eyes widen as he watches Rey straddle him naked, teasing to ride his hard cock, but she stands up and gets dressed instead. The images shift and now Ben is tied to a chair with his arms behind him. Ben can almost feel Rey pumping his cock until he is close to orgasm, but then she stops just before letting his pleasure build without release. Don't worry I will let you finish. Eventually", Rey teases back.

Ben is quiet as he considers what Rey is saying to him and the images she pushed into his head. This isn't the same Rey form the Throne Room. She is stronger and sexier than before.

"What, does a strong woman scare you Solo? Do you think you can handle me", Rey says as she looks up at Ben's dark eyes thru her lashes.

"Oh, I can handle anything Scavenger. You'll be begging me to take you. Once you are mine, you will forget all about the negotiations and the Resistance", Ben says now walking Rey back to the bed as she sits down. He doesn't stop his approach and Rey is forced to lay back with her towel as it pulls down exposing her breasts to Ben for the first time. Rey wants to feel concerned, but she only aches for Ben's touch. She arches her back up and closes her eyes anticipating him to take her thru the connection.

"Ben", she says breathlessly.

Nothing happens. She opens her eyes and sees Ben is leaning over her, hands on either side of her head with his face inches from hers. He says nothing as he looks down at her lips and before Rey can close the distance between them, Ben stands up and walks away from Rey.

"Enough. The first time I take you it will be in person. We will finish this on Naboo" Ben says as he sits down next to Rey on her bed.

Rey closes her eyes in frustration. She wraps her towel around her torso tightly. "Fine. I will be there", she says without emotion as she stares ahead not looking at Ben.

"Rey, I have ordered the ships to not fire on anyone without my direct orders, but there is always a chance someone will not listen to me. Please do not do anything stupid. There will be a squad stationed in the hangar and you need to be alone" Ben responds to her as he looks away.

"I have given my word and will follow your agreement with Anonymous. Nobody is following me or coming with me. I will be there alone", she says.

"It's too bad you destroyed the lightsaber. The possibility of you fighting or killing me is out of the question. Anonymous didn't say no lightsabers as part of the agreement. Oh, and you will pay for the destruction of my Grandfather's lightsaber by the way", Ben says pointing at Rey.

"Excuse me. You had an equal part in its destruction", Rey says defensively.

"I guess that can be part of our negotiations later", Ben says waving his hand to dismiss the thought.

"Where are we meeting anyway?", Rey asks curiously.

Ben sighs before responding. "This 'Anonymous' insists we meet at Varykino on Naboo and that we negotiate over dinner. I really don't understand why we need to have dinner. Your surrender will not take that long", Ben smirks as Rey rolls her eyes at his comment. "Besides, Varykino is not really a place you go to negotiate. It's more of a vacation spot for Nabooians", Ben laughs suddenly in realization. "It's funny. I think I have been there before with my parents-" Ben stops talking abruptly and stares at Rey with a curious look on his face.

"What?", Rey says to Ben with concern.

"Rey, 'Anonymous' is my Mother isn't it? Leia is anonymous", Ben says as he realizes who has been planning this meeting all along. He doesn't wait for Rey to answer as he stands up and paces in Rey's room. "I should have known she would try something like this. Nobody else in the Resistance would pick Varykino for this meeting", Ben says confidently.

Rey says nothing as she watches Ben pace back and forth for a minute before he stops and looks at Rey with curiosity.

"Ben?", Rey says curiously.

Ben looks at Rey with his deep brown eyes still in thought as he closes the gap between them. Rey meets Ben's gaze. Her face begins to flush, and her stomach does flips as he stares into her eyes. She opens her mouth to respond to him but cannot find her words.

"Rey, I need to go. I need to make final preparations for our meeting tonight. I will be waiting for you in Varykino", Ben says to Rey not looking away.

"Ben, wait. Please-"Rey says quickly.

"No, Rey. I need to go. I will see you very soon", Ben says before the force connection gently closes between them and Rey is left alone in her room.

 _Kriff._ Rey stands up and enters the refresher with less confidence then she had earlier that morning. _This may not go the way we expect it to now…_

* * *

Kylo sits down with his head in his hands after ending the connection between him and Rey. _Leia thought she would use Rey to negotiate the end of the war. Well, I am on to your game_ Mother.

Kylo contacts General Peavey and Captain Mitaka and requests their presence right away in the conference room. As the men rise to greet the Supreme Leader, Kylo ignores the formalities and gets right into the meeting.

"Have we been able to track Anonymous?", Kylo asks without sitting down.

"No Sir, whomever is contacting us has been sending the transmission signal all over the system. We have not been able to pinpoint the exact location", Captain Mitaka responds carefully.

"Not a problem. I doubt Anonymous will be contacting us any further today. This final contact was to finalize the meeting location with their Ambassador. I will be contacting the Queen of Naboo shortly to request clearance to meet as I do not want to cause any difficulties with Naboo in the middle of this issue with the Resistance. I have confirmed this will be a dinner meeting and I expect their surrender before nightfall. In return for this being a dinner meeting, we will have a squadron of Stormtroopers placed at the main hanger in Cloud City, where the Ambassador to the Resistance will be leaving from, to monitor the hangar for any Resistance members attempting to escape. This is for security of their Ambassador and to ensure no other departures take place. The squadron is not to disrupt anything or do on a mission to locate the remaining Resistance Members. They are there strictly to monitor the hangar in case the Resistance decides to play games", Kylo says quickly.

"Yes, Sir. We will have our top squad leave immediately", General Peavey responds.

"Good. I will be in my quarters for the next 30 minutes discussing logistics with the Queen of Naboo and getting ready for this meeting. I plan to leave early to ensure the meeting is set up properly in person on Naboo. Remember your prior orders – no shots will be fired unless I order them personally. Meet me in Hangar A in about 45 minutes before my departure", Kylo says in a serious tone.

"Yes, Sir", Mitaka and Peavey both confirm in unison.

Kylo leaves and heads back to his quarters. Kylo and the Queen of Naboo discuss logistics of the meeting in Varykino thru holo communication. The Nabooian Queen is not happy about the Supreme Leader of the First Order being on her planet, but she agrees to his requests for the evening based on him not having a full escort of Stormtroopers. She confirms dinner can be provided for a fee, which Kylo pays in advance. Kylo also makes a few private requests of the queen, which after some explanations from Kylo, she agrees to the requests more cheerfully.

Kylo ends the holo and freshens up in the shower. As he begins to get dressed in his best tunic and pants, he begins to feel anxious about meeting Rey. He realizes it will be their first time seeing each other in person since the fight in the old throne room. _At least she seemed to be looking forward to the meeting…,_ he thinks to himself as he finishes putting on his jacket.

His thoughts continue as he grabs his lightsaber and clips it to his belt with a smile as he knows Rey will be unarmed. _Rey would be foolish to start a fight tonight when she has no weapon. She will have no choice but to join me,_ he thinks to himself as he clasps his cloak around his neck and grabs a pair of black leather gloves. He takes one look in the mirror before leaving and feels more confident as he walks out of the room and heads to Hangar A.

General Peavey and Captain Mitaka are waiting for Kylo in the Hangar to provide one last status update before Kylo's departure. "Sir, we have confirmed the squadron is in place at the main hangar on Cloud City and they are waiting for the Ambassador's arrival to their shuttle. The fleet is aware of your orders, we are not to open fire without your specific orders. Is there anything else you need before you leave?" General Peavey asks.

"No, thank you both for your assistance", Kylo says as the ramp to his shuttle lowers down to the hangar.

"Very good. Good luck, Sir", General Peavey responds as he and Captain Mitaka stand at attention.

"Thank you", Kylo Ren says as he lowers the door to his shuttle and immediately walks on board. He runs his pre-flight checks and guides the shuttle away from the Finalizer II before entering coordinates to jump to Naboo.

Within moments he comes out of Lightspeed and requests to land in Varykino, which is granted immediately. Once he lands on Naboo, he steps out of the shuttle and stares at the Lake Country for a moment letting memories of a family vacation come back to him briefly. _Well, Mother. Let's see what you have planned this evening,_ Kylo thinks to himself as he looks away from the Lake. He makes the walk up to a paved patio with a rose garden overlooking the lake. He continues past the marble wall that is framed by a trellis with climbing roses and makes his way to a large lake house that has been left alone for many years. He is pleased to see droids and servants inside cleaning and beginning to prepare food for the evening. To avoid disturbing their progress, he walks back into the garden patio and stands facing the lake under the rose trellis. _It's exactly how I remember it._ He places his hands on the marble wall overlooking the lake. _You knew what you were doing Mother. You chose Varykino for a reason…_

* * *

"What is the point of all of this now? Ben knows it was you who set up the meeting. Why don't I just show up in my regular clothes at this point?" Rey says in a frustrated voice. Rey is sitting in a chair as Leia finishes pinning Rey's hair back half up and half down. Leia does a final check and sits down in front of Rey inspecting the makeup job the droids did and making a small adjustment to the lipstick.

"We need to continue with the plan regardless. Yes, I know it's not ideal that he figured it out so soon, but we can still win. The location where you're meeting is special to the Skywalker's. Ben will recall the memories and then when he sees you, he will come around", Leia replies as she inspects Rey's hair and makeup one final time. "You remember how confident you felt this morning? Use that same energy, channel it when you get there, and you will be victorious. I know you can do this", Leia says as she takes Rey's hands.

"I feel confident in myself. I am not so confident that he won't try to play games once I get there. He seemed distracted by something before he closed the connection. It seemed like he was planning something, and he didn't want me to push into his mind to see what he was planning." Rey says holding onto Leia's hands in return.

"You will do great. I trust you will do what's right for the Resistance. Besides, you look beautiful. Here, see for yourself", Leia says as she lets go of one hand to grab a small mirror, which she holds out in front of Rey.

Rey examines her face in the mirror and her mouth drops open. She sees herself in the mirror. The makeup was done to highlight her eyes and lips while still making sure she looks like herself. "See, you are still you", Leia says smiling.

"Thank you. I didn't want anything too drastic", Rey says smiling back at Leia. Rey stands up to get the dress and lightsaber from the closet with a smile still on her face.

Leia can feel her excitement and eagerness to see Ben, which makes Leia feel happy as well, but she also feels a bit apprehensive about sending Rey to meet Ben as well.

"Rey, I want to make sure you are going to be okay. I know you are a Jedi and you can take care of yourself. Are you comfortable with this meeting still?" Leia asks suddenly.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Rey replies without hesitation.

"I worry that I am pushing things too soon. I am basically setting you up with my son and I know that is wrong", Leia says looking down to the floor.

"Leia, I knew what you were doing from the beginning", Rey replies. "You were right earlier today when you said I have feelings for Ben. I do have feelings for him. I think he has feelings for me too, but I don't know if they are necessarily the same feelings. He can be very confusing when we speak thru the connection", Rey says as places her dress and lightsaber on the bed.

"Oh Rey, I hope this goes the way we hope it will", Leia says standing up to hug the girl. Rey returns her hug briefly before Leia speaks again. "If this meeting does not go well, then you do what you must to survive", Leia says in a serious tone.

"I will", Rey says in return.

Leia steps outside of Rey's quarters so she can get dressed. As she finishes tying her skirt to her hip, she calls the lightsaber up to her hand and it glides up to her hand without hesitating. Rey can feel the force flowing around her as the lightsaber hums in her hand. As she clips it into the folds of her skirt, so it's hidden from view, Rey calls Leia back in to the room.

"You look absolutely stunning. I asked Lando to bring in the tall mirror again", Leia says as Lando brings the tall mirror into the room.

"Wow, Rey. Ben doesn't stand a chance", Lando says appreciatively as he hugs Leia around her shoulders. "You did a great job Leia".

"Thank you Lando. We would not have been able to do this without you", Leia says leaning into the hug.

Rey steps over to look in the mirror again. She cannot help but smile at her reflection as she feels truly beautiful for the first time in her life. Typically, she wears comfortable shoes and clothing, but now she looks at her reflection and she sees a fierce and beautiful warrior. She nods and looks to Lando and Leia who are watching her silently.

"This will work", Rey says confidently.

"Yes, but just in case we are providing you with a cloaked binary beacon again and a communicator. Use it if you are in trouble and we will find a way to get to you. Lando has friends all over the galaxy that can help you if we cannot leave Bespin", Leia says to Rey.

"That's right", Lando says to confirm the information.

Rey nods and takes one more look in the mirror. "I'm ready", Rey says to Lando and Leia.

"Lando will take you to the main hangar. Make sure to take a long route around Cloud City with a few stops so they cannot trace where you came from", Leia says to Lando. She hugs Rey tight. "Bring my son home. Both of you, get home safe", Leia says in Rey's ear before they pull away.

"I will", Rey says back.

"The force is with you, Rey, always", Leia says as Rey smiles at the General and leaves the room with Lando.

They walk to Lando's office and check the security feed to see if the hangar is clear before they leave the office. "Oh, I almost forgot. Leia and I also had a cape made to match your dress for good luck", Lando hands Rey a dark blue velvet cape with the same shimmering fabric as her dress. Lando helps Rey fasten the cape and steps back to inspect the entire outfit. "Gorgeous", Lando says appreciatively.

"Thank you Lando", Rey says again.

"You're welcome", he says looking back to the security feed. "We should be able to get thru without interruptions. It looks like everyone is heading out of the hangar for dinner. But, let's go thru the service tunnel to be safe", Lando says as they exit the office and walk thru a door immediately to their left at the end of the hallway. Rey realizes as they step thru the door and Lando closes it behind them, that he planned the layout of his apartment for easy getaways if needed.

"Lando, it seems like you have an escape path, why would you need that in retirement?", Rey asks curiously.

"Force of habit really. With all the things I have seen, you can never be too careful", he says as they climb down a flight of stairs leading to a less extravagant tunnel that has no doors or windows. "This will lead us straight to the hangar without being seen", Lando says as they begin to walk down the long pathway before it curves to the left and leads to the hangar.

They climb up a flight of stairs and enter the hangar in the back door behind a few small flashy looking speeders. Lando gestures towards a more basic shuttle that has no markings that they will take to the main Bespin hangar. As Rey is about to step into the shuttle, Chewbacca walks down the Millennium Falcon ramp and growls at Lando and Rey getting their attention.

"Hi Chewie. Yes, I know I look different. Thank you for everything and I hope you make it home safe", Rey smiles at the Wookie. "Maybe we will meet again once this war is over.", Rey says to his growls in return.

Chewie and Rey hug and she turns around to head towards the shuttle while Lando begins pre-flight checks. Once she is strapped into the passenger seat, Lando pulls up on the controls and the shuttle slowly exits the hangar thru a side door that slides shut immediately after they exit.

The minutes seem to tick by painfully slow during the trip to the main hangar in Bespin. Lando stops several times on varying platforms to check landing gear and to chat with locals while Rey stays on the shuttle. After what seems like an hour, they make it to the main hangar.

"Alright Rey, I am going to stop briefly for you to get off the shuttle, but I need to leave right away. Find Bay 13 and you will see the shuttle. It will likely have Stormtroopers surrounding it when you get there", Lando says as they make their approach.

"Thank you, Lando", Rey says as she gets up from the Passenger seat and waits by the ramp. As soon as the ramp is down on the hangar, Rey steps out of the shuttle. Then Lando immediately leaves Rey to begin making several trips around Cloud City to avoid being tracked back to the apartment.

As Rey makes her way thru the hangar, she looks around and sees Bay 13 ahead of her. She pulls the hood up on her cloak concealing her face as she walks thru the crowded hangar. It takes her a minute to get thru the crowd of people stuck in the Hangar due to the blockade, but she makes it to Bay 13 finding her path blocked by a Stormtrooper. "Halt, this Bay is off limits", the trooper says to Rey.

"I am Rey, the Ambassador to the Resistance. I wish to board my shuttle to avoid being late meeting your Supreme Leader", she says confidently to the Stormtroopers guarding the entrance to the shuttle.

The Stormtrooper immediately unblocks her path and replies to Rey, "Yes, mam. We have checked the ship already and you are free to board. You must call for clearance from the Finalizer II before you take off or else you will be blown up immediately".

"Thank you", Rey says as she passes the squadron and enters the shuttle. Rey takes her seat in the cockpit and begins pre-flight checks. _I'm surprised they didn't want to check me for weapons,_ she thinks to herself as she calls up to the Finalizer II to request clearance for departure. Once she is cleared for takeoff, she guides the shuttle out of the main hangar and out of the atmosphere of Bespin without issues. Rey tightens her grip on the controls but then begins to feel less stressed as she passes the First Order fleet and begins punching the coordinates for Naboo.

"Alright. Next stop, Naboo", Rey says to herself as she enters the coordinates Leia provided her for Varykino's landing platform. She breathes a sigh of relief that the shuttle enters lightspeed easily. Moments later, the shuttle comes out of lightspeed above Naboo. She receives clearance to land in Varykino and as she gets closer her stomach begins to do flips in anticipation. She lands easily next to a black bird-like shuttle, which Rey recognizes as Ben's.

 _Ben is already here,_ she thinks to herself. Before Rey can get out of the Pilot's seat, she hears Ben in her mind. _"Yes, I have been waiting for you, Rey"._

Rey stands up and checks her dress and makeup in a mirror before lowering the ramp. She takes a second to use the force to determine where Ben is at and she almost gasps when she feels Ben's force signature right outside her shuttle.

" _Whenever you are ready '_ Ambassador' _Rey",_ Ben sneers into her mind.


	7. Chapter 7- Negotiations

Chapter 7 – Negotiations

Rey takes a second to clear her mind as Ben waits for her outside the shuttle. _I think you can wait a second longer,_ Rey thinks back to Ben. She can feel the impatience wafting off Ben as she takes a deep breath and opens the door to the shuttle. The ramp hits the ground and Rey begins to walk down towards Ben who is facing away from the shuttle. Rey stops to stare at his figure before he turns around.

"Well, are you coming or am I going to have to come up there and-", Ben says as he turns around to face Rey, but he cannot find the remaining words in his sentence once he sees Rey in person. _Kriff. She looks so gorgeous. Is she wearing makeup? Wait, is she wearing earrings…? How do I know those earrings…? She looks great in earrings._ Ben thinks to himself blocking his thoughts from Rey as she walks down the ramp effortlessly and stands in front of Ben.

"No, that will not be necessary _Supreme Leader Ren_. I am quite capable of walking without your assistance". They continue to stare for a second and then Rey breaks the silence. "Well, are you going to stand there and stare or can we begin our dinner meeting", Rey says raising an eyebrow at Ben.

"I might just have to keep staring. You look beautiful. It's not something I would have picked if I were getting ready to surrender to the First Order. It seems like you are here for something maybe a bit more exciting?" Ben asks as he looks at her up and down.

"It seems you dressed the part of someone ready to surrender as well. Maybe we should just surrender to each other now and enjoy the evening without these clothes on", Rey suggests running her hands up Ben's arms briefly before coming to rest on his forearms.

"I thought you came to negotiate on behalf of the Resistance?", Ben asks breathlessly from Rey's touch.

"Ah, you're right. Well, let's begin our negotiations then", Rey says pulling her hands away from Ben's arms and looking away.

"Alright", Ben says as he holds out his arm towards Rey.

She hesitates slightly before taking his arm and letting him guide her thru an archway off the side of the landing pad which leads down to a large paved patio. Rey gasps quietly as she takes in the view of Tarykino. The lake appears to be never ending as the sun begins to cast its warm glow from the sunset across the water. On the patio, Rey smiles when she sees a small table sitting under a rose filled trellis overlooking the lake. A large lake house sits right off the patio with its doors and windows open to let in the breeze that lights blows off the lake. Rey looks up and sees small lights strung thru the trellis lighting the patio start to glow brighter as sun sets across the lake. Rey forgets for a moment that she is here with her enemy and instead glances at Ben with a genuine smile of happiness. For a second, she thinks he returns the smile but then sees it was just the light playing tricks.

Ben continues to guide them across the large patio, which is at least four times bigger than Rey's room back on Cloud City she thinks to herself. The table has fruit and bread with wine chilling in a bucket. Rey removes her arm as she moves to unclasp her cape. Ben helps place it on the chair and Rey can sense him checking out her body. Rey smirks as she turns to face him and attempts to enter his mind, but he blocks her quickly.

"Nice try, Scavenger", Ben says as he pulls her chair out and then pushes it under her as she sits down.

"It was worth a shot", she says shrugging.

Ben grazes his fingers against the back of her shoulder as he walks by her seat, which causes Rey to shiver from his touch. Ben smiles at her reaction as he sits down next to her at the table. Rey tries to focus on the task at hand, the negotiations, however seeing Ben in person makes her stomach flip around nervously.

"It's beautiful here", Rey says opening the conversation as she looks towards the lake with the sun slowly setting over the water.

"Yes, it is beautiful", Ben says looking at Rey.

"I wonder why Leia picked this spot", Rey says making small talk.

"We don't have to make small talk", Ben says waving his hand.

Rey ignores him and continues speaking. "I guess it's a good thing your old Starkiller base didn't destroy Naboo huh?", Rey asks in a taunting voice looking back at Ben.

Ben clinches his jaw. "It wasn't _my_ Starkiller base and I didn't order the Hosnian system to be destroyed", Ben says defensively.

"You were with the First Order during that time; you watched it happen did you not? Aren't you the mighty Kylo Ren, First Order Warrior and now the Supreme Leader? I think by default the destruction of the Hosnian system will be associated with you regardless of who made the call for its destruction", Rey says placing her napkin in her lap.

Ben watches her across the table. He knows she is pushing his buttons on purpose with her words, so he chooses to be silent.

"It's a pity you know. The Galaxy will know you as a murderer and a destroyer of planets. But if you gave it all up, the First Order and being Supreme Leader, then maybe you could be known as a hero instead", Rey suggests.

Ben continues to stare blankly at Rey as she waits for Ben to respond to her taunts. Nothing happens. She switches her tactics when he remains quiet and reaches across the table taking Ben's hand in her own. "Come with me Ben. Come home with me and you will never be lonely again. We could go anywhere in the Galaxy. We could spend every day together happily. Some days we could stay in bed all day. What do you think?", Rey says to Ben with a small smile.

Ben wants to say yes to Rey. He opens his mouth to agree and imagines picking her up and carrying her to the lake house behind them. He can imagine them living happily together in the lake house and having a family. But a voice inside tells him to kill her right then and there. He removes his hand from her grasp and picks up the bottle of wine to pour them each a glass. Rey continues to stare at Ben waiting for an answer to her offer. She is tempted to give up and leave him sitting here quietly alone, but she stays in her seat. A voice inside her says to wait it out and Ben will come around. She listens to the voice and resolves to be patient.

As Ben's silence continues to stretch into minutes though, her frustration builds until finally she cannot keep quiet any longer. "It must be hard", she says looking at Ben thru her lashes. Ben looks up at her with eyebrows raised waiting for her to finish her thought. "Being Supreme Leader. It must be hard doing a job you don't want to do", Rey says finally.

Ben sucks air thru his teeth at hearing Rey's words and he cannot keep quiet any longer. "It must be hard for you to pretend to be a Jedi when you have only had about a week of training, which you stole from me", Ben spits back at her.

"Ah, so you do hate being the Supreme Leader. I knew it" Rey says as she sits back in her chair watching Ben's face flush from the realization of him answering her without actually saying the words. "If you hate it that much, then come with me. You don't have to be Supreme Leader", Rey says as she attempts to reach out to Ben's hand, but he pulls away and stands up next to the table in one move.

"Enough Rey", Ben says in a gruff voice.

"No. Enough games, Ben. I know you care about me. Why can't you admit that there is something between us? Why do you need to be Supreme Leader?", Rey says not looking at Ben.

"I said enough Rey!", Ben says as he brings his fists down onto the table. The table shakes and glasses clink against plates.

Rey looks at Ben and her expression hardens. She will not give up on this topic. Ben runs a hand thru his hair as he composes himself and picks up his wine. Rey notices his hand shake slightly as he lifts the glass to his mouth.

"Fine", she replies. Rey stands up and grabs her wine glass from the table before walking to the edge of the patio. She places her elbows on the marble banister and looks out over the lake.

Ben stares at Rey's silhouette against the background of the sunset and thinks about how much of an idiot he is for not agreeing to be with her the moment she stepped off the shuttle. _Why do I have to be so difficult?_ he thinks to himself. He walks over and joins Rey at the edge of the patio, leaning his backside against the banister.

"Rey, I'm sorry for raising my voice", Ben says without looking at her. "This isn't going to have a happy ending. We cannot be together. You are a Jedi and I am the Supreme Leader of the First Order. I am literally your mortal enemy. We are supposed to want to kill each other", Ben says shaking his head.

"Oh, I still want to kill you", Rey says with a laugh.

"Yeah, how do you plan to do that without a lightsaber", Ben says smirking.

Rey says nothing as she looks back at the sunset. "I am not playing games with you Ben. I told you what I want. Your mother sent me to bring you home. She loves you and wants you to come home. We know it's hard for you to understand, but you would be welcomed back-" Rey says and before she can speak further Ben cuts her off.

"Rey, stop. Why would I give up leading the largest fleet in the galaxy? Do you think I want to return to my Mother now? She sent me to go learn how to be a Jedi from my Uncle who then tried to kill me in my sleep. This isn't something I will give up just because my mother says I need to come home. I am not a child", Ben replies. "Besides, the First Order is about to destroy Leia and the Resistance. You are here with me and I do not have to hold the cease fire any longer.", Ben says turning to face Rey. "You have lost Rey. After dinner, I plan to contact General Peavey and order every ship in my fleet to fire on Bespin. The Resistance will be destroyed, and you will have nobody except me in the Galaxy except for me", Ben says in a serious tone.

Rey tries to read his mind to see if he is just bluffing. Ben feels her prod at the barrier, which he lets down just enough for her to see that he is dead serious with this plan.

"I don't believe that after everything you would kill your own mother. You know I will never forgive you if you killed my friends. Your mother is like family to me. I won't let you kill her", Rey says stepping away from the banister.

"The Resistance is already dead. They aren't even a threat to the First Order anymore. Regardless, they will be destroyed", Ben says pointing to the shuttles as if the Resistance were right there.

"You're wrong", Rey says smiling as she shakes her head. "Right now, across the Galaxy, the Resistance is growing. Yes, you have the original group of Resistance fighters that escaped Crait surrounded on Bespin, however at this very second our numbers are growing exponentially across the Galaxy. You must feel the threat growing or you wouldn't be so adamant about destroying them right now", Rey says pausing briefly. "Do you want to know why the Resistance is growing so quickly?", she asks.

Ben gestures for her to continue speaking.

"Because of your little scene on Crait with Luke. There have been communiques and Holos going out to every system and planet since we escaped Crait. Most of the major systems and planets, like Canto Bight, have heard about how you were distracted by a ghost while the Resistance escaped from Crait", Rey says pacing in front of Ben not taking her eyes off him. "That doesn't look so good for the First Order or you as their Supreme Leader. The Galaxy doesn't want to side with someone who will be fooled by a ghost", Rey says as she stopes pacing in front of Ben. "The First Order is being destroyed from the inside out, thanks to General Hux sending out those Holo's of you. You are leading an organization that will implode from the inside out. You may have just reorganized your leadership this morning, but more of your men will rise against you. The Resistance is coming, and you will fail as Supreme Leader. Your only hope is to surrender and come home. We don't need the First Order and you don't have to die", Rey says holding out her hands to Ben.

Ben laughs and shakes his head at Rey. "You want me to just lay down my lightsaber and give up because you're telling me this ridiculous story about how the Resistance is growing in the last 2 days? Rey, that's ridiculous. If that is all you came to discuss then you might as well have a nice dinner and prepare to watch your friends die", Ben says as he returns to the table and grabs a piece of bread which he takes a bite before gesturing to the empty seat.

"You can believe whatever you like. My trust is with your mother and the Resistance", Rey says as she sits back down and grabs bread of her own and places it on her plate.

Ben scoffs.

"You already know what I want. I have been honest. I want you Ben Solo. Now, what are your terms for negotiation, Supreme Leader Ren?" Rey asks formally.

"Join me and I will spare your friends. They can evacuate to a remote planet and live out their days in peace without interference from me or the First Order. This includes Leia. I will not hunt them down and the First Order will leave them alone as long as the Resistance name dies for good", Ben says seriously.

Rey stares at Ben before shaking her head. "We are asking for the same thing. You want me to join you. I want you to join me. And you thought negotiations would be short tonight?", Rey scoffs as she takes a bite of her bread.

"Well Scavenger, what is your response?", Ben asks.

Rey says nothing as she stares at Ben in shock.

"Why are you so surprised by my terms? I told you three days ago. You either join me or your friends would die. I never changed my mind. I agreed to meet you here for dinner so you couldn't run away or block me out of a force connection for the rest of your life. You and your friends will die, or you will join me. You have no weapon, whereas I have mine. These negotiations are over. You must decide now", Ben says confidently.

When Rey says nothing, Ben stands up and moves to the side of the table unclipping his lightsaber from his belt and holding the hilt in his hands. "Decide, Rey", Ben says forcefully.

Rey eyes his lightsaber briefly before she stands up in front of Ben. Her heart hammers inside her chest as she considers his offer. Ben gulps down his fear of rejection as he stands in front of Rey holding his lightsaber.

Finally, Rey speaks. "You aren't going to kill me or my friends. You especially will not kill your mother. You had a chance to kill me and Leia and you choked both times".

"You don't sound so certain, Scavenger", Ben says gritting his teeth.

"I am certain", Rey says raising her voice. She can feel the force thickening around her and Ben as the sun sets over the lake. The lights in the trellis cast shadows on the ground as she takes two steps back from Ben putting space between her and his unlit lightsaber. "Do you want to hear a fun fact about your Grandfather?" Rey says. She watches as Ben's face hardens at the mention of his Grandfather. Rey doesn't wait for his response. "Anakin didn't care about politics", Rey says taking two small steps back from Ben. She notes that he won't be able to strike her without taking a few steps forward as she continues speaking. "Anakin argued with your Grandmother about what was right for the galaxy, yet he didn't actually care about ruling the Galaxy when he married Padme in that very spot", Rey says pointing to place where they were just standing moments ago. "Anakin loved Padme. Anakin broke Jedi rules to marry Padme because he wanted to have both her love and the Jedi Order in his life. He didn't turn to the dark side because he wanted to rule the galaxy. He was fooled into turning to the darkside by Palpatine. Just like you were fooled into it by Snoke. Anakin thought that if he learned the dark side, that he could save his wife and unborn child. That is why he turned away from the Jedi. You went looking for someone to care for you and you got nothing in return from Snoke. I care about you Ben, I am here for you", Rey says loudly.

Ben continues to hold his lightsaber in hand while staring at Rey. He is impressed with how she could know this information and realizes that Leia must have taught Rey about the Skywalker family before she arrived. He looks down at his lightsaber and then back at Rey as she takes another small step back from Ben.

"Anakin redeemed himself to save his children from Palpatine. You can still redeem yourself. You are not alone. I am right here", Rey says pointing to herself.

Ben hesitates and turns the hilt of the lightsaber in his hand.

"I know you don't want to be Supreme Leader. I can sense the regret and the fear with having to go back to the Finalizer II. You feel trapped. I don't want to trap you Ben. I am not asking for you to be my prisoner. You already know I was a prisoner on Jakku for years. I do not want that for you or myself. But, if you refuse to join me, then you give me no choice but to fight for my freedom", Rey says extending her hand to Ben one last time. "Please, join me", Rey says quietly.

Ben looks up at Rey with sadness in his eyes and then a flicker of anger. The anger builds until it is hanging in the air around Ben. The hope Rey has that Ben will join her fades with every passing second that Ben is silent. She can feel the internal battle raging inside of Ben as he considers his options. She feels the force urging her to reach for her lightsaber, but she is patient. Her heart sinks as she senses he makes his choice to fight. She has no choice but to duel Ben before he calls his General to order the attack on Bespin.

Ben watches Rey as she examines him. Ben can sense Rey's unwavering commitment to the light, yet Ben is confused. _How can she have such dark thoughts about us being together but be so bound to the light,_ he wonders to himself. She is unlike anything he has ever gone up against before. He is certain that she will not join him with the First Order. However, why would he give up leading the largest fleet for a girl from Jakku? _That would be foolish_ , he thinks to himself. _Besides, she has no weapon. Why should I be afraid? She should be afraid of me._ Ben opens his mind to her and says to her thru the connection, " _the only way out of here is to join me, Rey."_

Rey speaks out loud to this silent question. "My answer is no. I will not join you in darkness. I will not surrender the Resistance only to end up being your prisoner. I will not be your slave or your route to ultimate power in the galaxy", Rey says standing tall.

"Then you have given me no other choice", Ben says sadly as he ignites his lightsaber.

"I think you will learn there is always another choice that could be made", Rey replies.

Rey feels the force flow thru her, and time seems to slow down as she watches Ben flourish his lightsaber in a circle to the side of his body. Rey uses this to her advantage. She extends her right arm out and flicks her wrist in one smooth movement. Within seconds, her faux skirt unfastens and lands on her chair just as her lightsaber floats to her hand effortlessly. The blade hums to life as soon as the hilt lands in her palm and Rey stares fiercely at Ben ready for his attack.

Ben stops in his tracks as the unexpected lightsaber is exposed. Rey has the element of surprise and uses it to her advantage as Ben looks back and forth between the dark blue blade and Rey's face. "This is your last chance. Throw down your weapon and surrender or you will be destroyed", Rey says confidently.

"If you want to save Ben Solo so badly, then come and get him, Scavenger", Ben says. Before Rey can respond, Ben takes two large steps forward and slams his red blade into her blue one. The blades clash and throw red and blue lights across the patio as the sun as finally set in Varykino. As the duel begins, Ben silently how much stronger Rey has become since their last duel on Starkiller. While he is lost in thought, Ben almost misses a block as Rey swipes her blade across his torso. He can feel the heat from the blade as it narrowly misses his chest forcing him to take a few steps back. He looks up at Rey who doesn't flinch or show signs of concern.

"Ben Solo, you will be mine", Rey says as she continues her assault forward.

"I don't think so Rey", Ben says as he blocks her attacks and then begins to push Rey back with faster and more wild thrusts of his lightsaber.

They narrowly miss a wooden beam of the trellis as they dance around the patio. Rey doesn't want to destroy this beautiful place that means so much to Leia's family, but she remembers Leia's words to do what is necessary. Minutes pass and Ben's breath becomes heavier. Rey does not show she is tired as she continues to let the force carry and guide her in this duel.

As Ben senses Rey's strength is not faltering, he smiles at her thru the glow of their lightsabers. "Save your energy sweetheart. Once we are finished playing games then we can have some real fun", Ben taunts.

"This isn't going to help you win", Rey says evenly.

"What won't?", Ben says as their blades lock crisscrossed in front of them. Ben and Rey each push harder towards the each other until they are inches away from one another.

"The flirting. You are trying to distract me. You do this when you feel threatened. For example, when you were threatened by Poe's attraction to me on the Falcon thru the force connection. You feel threatened now. Good. You will lose this battle Kylo Ren" Rey says as she quickly delivers a kick in the abdomen pushing his body away from hers so she can pull her lightsaber away from him.

Ben steps back and places a hand where the heel of her shoe hit his ribcage. "If my ribs are broken you will pay for that", Ben says pointing his lightsaber at her face.

"C'mon. A few broken ribs will be nothing compared to your broken heart when I win this fight", Rey taunts back at him.

Ben's anger begins to boil over. She is beating him, again. How can she be so powerful when he has trained almost his entire life with the dark side? How can she so closely walk the line to darkness but not be taken over? He feels so angry that she has friends and his mother to support her while he has nobody. He cannot let her win. Not like this. Ben embraces his anger as he lets out a yell and begins to sprint towards Rey with his lightsaber held in both hands above his head. _Enough,_ he thinks to himself.

Rey closes her eyes briefly and takes a deep breath letting the force slow down the moment. She analyzes Ben's movement and lets him take a step closer before making her move. As Ben's lightsaber begins to slice down narrowly missing Rey's head and torso by inches, Rey turns and pushes the force thru her body as she delivers a kick to the square of Ben's back. Rey watches as Ben flies across the patio and lands hard against the concrete floor with a crack, while Ben's lightsaber deactivates and slides across the patio landing in the bushes near the lake house. Rey stands as she watches for any movements from Ben before approaching. She reaches out with the force and confirms he is unconscious as a result of the fall. As she walks over to Ben, she deactivates her lightsaber and turns Ben over onto his back. She examines his head and sees a shallow cut to the top left of his forehead. She shakes her head as she can sense his anger slowly subsiding as he sleeps, but she knows he won't be out for long. She stands up and calls Ben's lightsaber to her hand easily from the bushes as she walks to the table. She places both lightsabers on the table away as she sips her wine. "You should have negotiated with me, Kylo Ren", Rey says out loud as she finishes her glass of wine.

Rey pours herself another glass as she considers reactivating her lightsaber and finishing him right there on the patio. A voice deep within her says to finish him, while a stronger voice says to be patient with Ben. She agrees with the latter voice and as she resolves to be patient, a movement from the house catches her eye.

A droid, spherical like BB-8, but colored gray and teal comes rolls out to Ben's figure and then beeps questioningly at Rey wanting to know what happened.

Rey looks at the droid and thinks it must be here to help with the dinner. "I'm afraid there was an accident. Do you know this man?" she asks the droid curiously.

The droid responds to Rey and confirms Ben Solo is its Master. Rey curiously thinks to herself how odd that the droid would know Ben by his given name and not by Kylo Ren. Surely, this droid is from the First Order.

"I'm Rey, what is your name?", Rey asks the droid as she squats down by Ben.

The droid beeps a reply in happy tones.

"JL-12, it's nice to meet you", Rey replies with a smile.

The droid warms up to Rey instantly and begins to explain with high pitched beeps and whistles how Master Solo recently purchased the droid from the Queen of Naboo. JL-12 was tasked to help with dinner and any other requests at Ben's lake house in Varykino.

Rey looks at the droid in confusion. "What do you mean, Ben's lake house, JL-12?" Rey asks.

The droid beeps at her again confirming Ben purchased the house, JL-12, clothing, food, and other provisions only hours before arriving today.

Rey stares at the droid trying to make sense of everything before JL-12 insists on tending to Ben's wounds. She stands up and walks back to the table as JL-12 provides first aid. JL-12 confirms Ben has a slight concussion from the impact to his head, but he will make a full recovery within the next few days.

Rey breathes a sigh of relief and thanks JL-12 for its assistance. The droid indicates it will bring out dinner as Ben will likely be waking up shortly. Rey agrees and thanks the droid for its help. Rey moves to sit down at the table, but seeing Ben incapacitated on the ground, she considers a new plan. Rey calls for the droid and requests rope and binders be brought out to the table. The droid follows orders and when it returns with rope, Rey requests the droid stay in the lake house until back out called by Rey.

JL-12 beeps understanding and returns to the house.

Rey walks over to Ben and extends her hand out using the force to lift his body easily and placing him gently in his chair at the table. Once he is sitting, she works quickly with the rope typing him tightly against the chair frame so he doesn't fall, and so he cannot escape. She fastens the binders to his hands to secure the ropes. She tests the restraints and feels they are tight enough considering he may be weak once he wakes back up. Rey gently moves hair out of Ben's face and waits patiently as his eyes begin to flutter awake. Ben opens his eyes and looks from his torso to his chest and then around him before he makes eye contact with Rey. She senses his anger and his confusion as to why he is tied up. Ben tests the restraints and sucks in air as his skin burns from the rope twisting against his skin.

" _Good._ _Your awake._ _Now, it's my turn to interrogate you_ ", Rey says thru the force bond as she smiles at him mischievously from across the table.


	8. Chapter 8 - Interrogation

AN:

Please note: this Chapter contains Adult content.

Thank you all for the reviews and comments so far. :)

* * *

Chapter 8 – The Interrogation

Ben stares at Rey across the table. He tries to call his lightsaber to him but his head throbs in response to his effort. He gives up and begins moving around testing for a weakness in the bindings around him.

"So, let's talk Ben. There is a lot we need to discuss tonight", Rey says as she watches Ben testing her handiwork.

"Ropes, really?", Ben says while he tries to free his arms from the ropes. After a few seconds, he stops moving as the ropes get tighter around his torso making it harder to breathe. Rey watches as Ben sighs in frustration.

"Back on Jakku, I had to learn how to use ropes to climb up to the highest parts of the wrecks to find the most valuable parts. One wrong move or one loose knot and you could fall to your death", Rey says smugly. "These ropes are for your own good. You are too weak from your head injury to get up right now. I am trying to make sure you don't get reinjured".

"You're not helping me. You are playing games. Again. I have no useful information for you to justify this behavior. The Resistance has no weapons. You have one junky ship and even that will not defeat an entire fleet of the First Order. This is a waste of time." Ben says rolling his eyes.

"Oh, Ben. You still think this is about the Resistance and the First Order? Oh no, this right here is about you and me", Rey says.

"There is no you and me. I tried to kill you. You knocked me out. End of the story. At least you stayed around this time, unlike on the Finalizer.", Ben says looking away.

"Oh Ben, there is nobody here to fool but yourself. You are hiding behind your anger and you don't want to admit how you really feel about me. Besides, we still have dinner to eat", she says ignoring his insult about her leaving him to die in the past.

"I'm not hungry", Ben lies to her.

"You will eat Ben", Rey says as she turns to the house that sits right off the patio. "JL-12 could you please come out for a second?", she says before looking at Ben with a smile.

Ben jolts at the mention of his droid. His eyes widen as he looks to the house and then back at Rey as JL-12 emerges from the house and whistles in response to Rey.

"I think your _Master_ is ready for dinner. Please bring dinner out to us" she asks the droid not looking away from Ben.

JL-12 beeps at Rey in agreement before rolling back inside the house. Ben is caught off guard. _How did she find the droid?_ He thinks to himself. He looks up at Rey and sees her smile. _I don't find them, they tend to find me,_ she thinks back at him without speaking. Ben recalls BB-8 and shakes his head at how much trouble this girl has been for him.

"Now, tell me. Why would the Supreme Leader of the First Order buy a droid for one meeting?" Rey asks as she places her hand under her chin thoughtfully.

"I needed help to carry out my end of the deal with Leia. She wanted dinner to be served and the only way I could get that to happen was to buy a droid from the Queen of Naboo. She refused to let me bring one from the First Order, which I agree would have been too risky seeing as you tend to make friends with every droid you meet. I asked to borrow a droid or pay her servants for the evening and she refused because it was too risky for her people. She was going to refuse me using this location for the meeting all together, so I had no choice but to buy a new droid. He cost me double the normally amount by the way", he says in frustration.

"Sounds like you got hustled by a queen today", Rey says as she drinks her wine.

Ben clinches his jaw and looks around. "Where is my lightsaber?" Ben asks quickly.

"Don't worry. It's safe", Rey says placing both lightsabers on the table. She places her hands over both hilts.

Ben is silent. He tries to concentrate enough to call his lightsaber to his hand, but his head pounds harder with the effort. He squints his eyes in concentration and can barely hear Rey's words in the background.

"Ben, stop! You need to rest. Besides, you won't be able to get your lightsaber from me right now with the condition you are in", Rey says gripping Ben's shoulder.

Ben opens his eyes and closes them again when he sees the patio swirling around him.

"You will eat and then go to bed", Rey says with authority.

"Are you kidding me? You're not my mother. I will get out of these ropes and return to the First Order so I can destroy your friends since you refused to join me. That was our deal remember?", Ben says as he slowly opens his eyes.

"Yes, I remember", Rey says rolling her eyes.

They sit in silence as Ben feels he has won the argument. Rey however smiles at Ben, which makes him feel as if she knows more than she is telling him.

"I would also like to know why the Supreme Leader of the First Order, who has an enormous fleet waiting for him, would want to buy a house on Naboo. Why would you have an interest in settling down here in Varykino after this meeting?" Rey says pointing to the house behind his chair with a smirk.

 _Kriff_ , he thinks to himself.

"That's right, I know about the house. JL-12 says you bought this house just hours before the meeting after you purchased him from the Queen. Why would the great Kylo Ren, who despises his family so much, buy a lake house on Naboo? What happened to 'let the past die'?" Rey asks as her voice gets louder.

Rey stares at Ben waiting for an answer.

"It's none of your business. But if you must know it was the same deal as JL-12. I couldn't just borrow or rent the place. I had to purchase it for the meeting. That way if anything was damaged then it wouldn't come out of the Queen's pockets", Ben says quickly.

Ben is lying. Rey senses the lie immediately. She opens her mouth to push Ben further for the truth, but before she can say anything JL-12 rolls back out with their dinner on a cart.

 _This conversation is not over Ben,_ she thinks to Ben thru their connection.

"Ah, thank you so much JL-12" Rey says to the droid.

Rey moves the dinner plates to each place setting and JL-12 returns to the house with the empty cart. Ben feels his mouth watering as Rey takes a bite of her dinner and nods in approval. As Ben wishfully thinks he could get out of the ropes to eat, Rey reaches over and scoops food onto his fork and raises it to his mouth.

"What the hell are you doing?", Ben says pulling his head back from the fork.

"Feeding you. I'm not letting you out right now. You just lied to my face about a major purchase, which makes no sense given your status, and your hatred of everything that has to do with your family. I am not taking the risk" Rey says while holding the fork out to him waiting for him to eat. Ben stares at Rey incredulously. "I am only trying to help you Ben. Why do you have to be so stubborn?".

"You have lost your damn mind Rey", Ben yells in reply.

Rey slams the fork down in frustration which startles Ben. "You make everything so difficult Ben. First, you try to kill me on Takodana. Then, you offer to be my teacher on Starkiller. After that, you manipulate me into thinking you care about me, which only leads to me getting tortured by Snoke. When I think you care, you do things that make it seem like you don't care. You tell me I am not alone, but then you tell me I am nothing. So yes, I have lost my damn mind. I told you earlier that I care about you, and I meant every word", Rey says loudly.

Ben says nothing. He is taken back by Rey's outburst. When Ben doesn't reply, Rey continues speaking.

"I am here to help you realize your destiny is not with the First Order. Your destiny is with me. You must feel something besides hatred and anger. If you don't care about me, then explain why you would go to the trouble of agreeing to meet me alone in the same place your Grandparents were married? Why would you buy a droid and a house for one meeting?", she pauses to let her questions resonate with Ben. "You don't care about your Mother's feelings that much to buy a house and a droid. No, if you really wanted to kill me or destroy the Resistance, you would have already done it by now. I came here to be honest and to help you realize there are people who care about you. Maybe it was a mistake coming here. All you want to do is destroy the good in the Galaxy", Rey says sharply as she stands up at the table.

Rey is about to walk away and head to the shuttle when she hears a soft female voice in her mind, _"there is good in him, be patient Rey"._

Rey looks at Ben considering her options. She knows Ben will eventually get out of the ropes and will not stop looking for her and the Resistance. _I need to be patient_ , she says to herself and agreeing with the unknown voice.

"Alright Ben let's try this again", Rey says as she raises his fork to his face. He pulls his head back in protest.

"Your concussion will get worse if you do not eat something. There is no reason for you to refuse food when it's sitting in front of you", she says sadly.

Ben says nothing. He would rather go hungry then be fed by his enemy. In response to his stubbornness, Rey takes a different approach to making sure he eats. Rey closes her eyes and pulls a memory from her childhood that she gently pushes into Ben's mind who, in his weakness, has no choice but to watch the memory.

A young Rey is laying in her bed on Jakku. Ben watches as Rey twists and turns in the bed unable to sleep. He thinks, _why would she show me herself having a nightmare_ , but then he begins to feel what is keeping young Rey awake. Ben watches and experiences the same pain the younger Rey is feeling as her stomach growls and squeezes her from the inside desperate for food. Rey sits up with tears rolling down her face. She feels weak, which means Ben feels weak as he watches her wrap her arms around her legs for comfort. She rocks back and forth as she sobs painfully. Ben's stomach grumbles and twists with pain as Rey cringes and lays back down…tears slide down her face as she feels so lonely, so afraid to die, and so desperate for food…

"Stop!", Ben says loudly as the memory pulls out of his head. He catches his breath and blinks his eyes to make sure the memory is gone. "Why would you show me that?", he asks angrily.

"That is what starvation feels like. You are injured and you need food to heal. You also need to understand that food is a commodity on some planets, and it is not always readily available to everyone. There are people who suffer and die every day because they do not have access to food. You are choosing not to eat out of spite. I can sense your hunger so do not say you are not hungry" Rey replies pointing her finger at Ben accusingly.

Ben stares at Rey as he recovers from the mental intrusion. As if waiting for a cue, his stomach growls loudly and Rey gestures toward him expectantly.

"Fine", he says in a low voice. Rey says nothing in reply as she leans over and lifts his food up to his mouth. Ben takes the bite and chews slowly.

"How many days would you go without food?" he asks to fill the silence.

"Depends. In order to eat I needed to find parts to sell to Unkar Plutt. If there were no parts, then I received no portions. Unkar wasn't the most ethical when it came time to pay either. Some days we would bring parts to him and get whole portions. Other days those same parts would be worth only a quarter of a portion", Rey says as takes another bite of her own dinner before feeding Ben another bite.

Ben feels sorry for Rey having to go hungry as a child. He realizes as he chews that he never had to worry about food or fresh water growing up. He always had a roof over his head and never had to fight for necessities. He feels sorry for Rey as he watches her methodically eat a bite of her own food before getting a bite for Ben. _Maybe she does care_ , he thinks to himself.

"I can feed myself if you would like to enjoy your dinner without having to feed me every other bite. Takes these ropes off, I will not try to kill you", Ben says hopefully to Rey.

"I will consider releasing you, if you can answer one question honestly?" Rey replies.

Ben is reluctance but he nods in agreement.

"Why did you buy this house?" she asks again.

"I already told you. I needed to buy the house. The Queen would not allow the meeting to take place otherwise", he says in a tired voice.

"I don't believe you. Why won't you tell me the truth?", she says lifting his fork up again. Ben takes another bite and considers her question.

"That is the truth", Ben says evenly.

"You do realize that I could take whatever I wanted out of your head? I could force my way into that dark mind of yours and find the answers to _all_ my questions. Have you ever had someone force their way into your mind without concern on if it hurts or not? Did Snoke ever do that to you? With your concussion, you would likely pass out from the pain the mind probing causes. Is that what you want Ben?", Rey asks darkly.

"Fine, I will tell you the truth. If, you tell me where you got that lightsaber" Ben says in a serious tone.

"If you break your deal, then I get to enter your head", Rey says quickly.

"Deal", Ben says even quicker.

Rey smiles and picks up her lightsaber. "I got this lightsaber from your Mother. It was a gift".

"That's not possible. Leia never had a lightsaber. For someone who just made a big speech about lying, why are you lying to me?" Ben says hurtfully.

"I am being honest. Don't get upset because you don't like the answer. It's not my fault you know nothing about your Mother", Rey says shaking her head.

"What did you say?", he asks.

"You heard what I said", Rey says evenly.

"I don't believe she would have a lightsaber. If she did, then she must have taken it from someone else", Ben spits back.

"She didn't steal anything. Do you really believe your Mother only worked in the Senate and never tried to train with Luke? She had adventures before you were born. You left for the First Order and joined Snoke before you could ever ask about or hear the stories. That is why you think these are lies. This lightsaber belonged to Leia. She gave it to me as a gift because I was coming to rescue you", Rey says with finality in her voice.

Ben shakes his head. A voice inside whispers his head, " _she is lying, don't believe her. She doesn't care about you"._

"Stop lying to me Rey. Everything you said earlier about caring about me and now with the lightsaber. You don't care about me. You just want to destroy me and the First Order", Ben shouts at Rey.

Rey shakes her head. "You really don't trust me, do you?", she asks in a sad voice. Ben looks down at her question. "You have been so manipulated by Snoke and the First Order that will never believe what I tell you", Rey says as she stands up from the table.

Ben thinks to himself, _this is it she is leaving me tied up on Naboo_. However, Rey walks over and sits on Ben's lap carefully.

"What are you doing?" he asks in a shocked voice.

"You won't believe what I say, but maybe you will believe what I show you", Rey says as she places her left hand on Ben's right cheek with the scar underneath her palm. Rey takes a deep breath and pushes a memory into Ben's mind carefully to avoid too much pain.

Before Ben can protest, he watches as a meeting room comes into view. He sees his Mother and his breath catches in his chest. He realizes this is the first time he has seen her since going to Luke's Jedi Academy. As Ben watches Leia and Rey talk at the table, Leia's voice gets louder as the memory skips thru their discussions.

" _Rey, the Solo men have a way of torturing the ones they love… Ben cares for you…Rey, if Ben wanted to, he would have killed you already. He would have killed you on Starkiller or after the fight with the guards in the Throne room. He cares about you. He saved you from Snoke, he fought the guards with you side by side, and he hasn't ordered the First Order to destroy us here despite knowing exactly where we are hiding"…_

Rey moves the memory forward as Ben watches Leia give her jewelry to Rey for the meeting with Ben. Ben's heart beats faster as the memories switch again. Ben watches closely as Leia picks up a case from the table.

" _This was my lightsaber when I trained with Luke before Ben was born. Unfortunately, it doesn't call to me as it once did. It is a gift for you. The force showed me a vision of you and Ben together… you had my lightsaber clipped to your belt. It is meant to be. Bring my son home"… Rey stands in front of a mirror staring back at herself. She has messy wet hair from her shower as she stands in her formal dress while holding the dark blue lightsaber steady in her hands. Rey stares at her reflection and thinks to herself, "I am coming for you Ben Solo"._

The memories stop and Rey takes her hand from Ben's cheek. Rey's words echo in his mind with Leia's. Ben cannot argue with the information Rey provided as he sits in silence replaying the memories in his head. Rey begins to stand up from his lap.

"No, don't go", Ben says in a whisper.

Rey pauses and is unsure if she heard him right. "What did you say?"

"Please, don't go", he replies louder.

Rey sits back down and looks expectantly at Ben.

"I'm sorry I called you a liar. I believe you", he says to Rey.

"Well, now you know I was honest. Your turn. Why did you buy this house?", Rey asks again.

"I bought this house for you", he replies.

"What do you mean you bought this house for me?", she says unable to hide the surprise in her voice.

"It's hard to explain", Ben says back. "I don't want to lie to you. But, it's hard to explain without it sounding ridiculous".

"Then show me" she says offering to place her hand on his cheek again.

Ben considers her offer before nodding he agrees to show her why he bought this house. She moves her hand slowly back to his cheek, but before he can show her anything, his head jerks away from Rey's hand.

"Ben, do you want to show me or not?" Rey asks annoyed with Ben playing games with her.

"Yes, I don't know why I did that", he says in a confused voice. Rey moves to touch his cheek again and Ben's heart and stomach begin to flip inside him. A voice inside him speaks up again, s _he will find out too much,_ _stop her!_

"Wait", he says. Rey stops and looks at Ben with concern. His face is pale, and his breathing is labored against the ropes.

"Are you okay? You don't look well. Let me get JL-12 to come check you out", Rey says with concern as she starts to stand up.

"No. That's not needed. Rey, I cannot explain it, but you need to take the information out of my head. Now!", Ben says gritting his teeth.

Rey doesn't hesitate. She places her hand firmly on his cheek over his scar and enters his mind. A wall tries to go up between her and Ben's memory, but she passes over the wall and begins to move thru his memories as quickly as she can trying to find the most important ones.

 _Ben stands with his arms crossed outside the Jedi temple watching his parents leave on the Millennium Falcon. Ben feels angry for being dumped here and as his parents take off a voice calls out to him darkly, "I am here for you Ben"._

Rey's skin chills at the sound of the dark hoarse voice in Ben's mind. The same dark voice calls to Ben in the present, _"Stop her now!"._ Ben pulls against the ropes in protest trying to pull free from Rey, but she holds his head in place with her other hand.

Rey pulls more memories as Ben groans in pain as she rifles thru his mind.

 _Ben as a toddler crying as a young Han Solo leaves with Chewie on the Falcon. Ben's eyes fill with tears as he screams out, "Please Dad, don't go!"._

 _Ben sees Rey on Takodana and begins to care for her instantly. She is powerful with the force and she has no idea. Ben removes his mask in the interrogation room and feels Rey's arousal at seeing his face for the first time. He wants to take her right there. Not yet, he thinks. When she resists his mind probe, he is impressed with her strength. He doesn't want Snoke to interrogate her…he needs to protect her…she needs to escape._

 _At night Ben dreams of Rey calling to him, "Come home with me, Ben Solo. I love you". Snoke then enters his head, "Destroy the Resistance. Destroy the scavenger"._

 _Ben watches as the ramp on the Millennium Falcon slams shut and Rey leaves Crait. His heart shatters in his chest as the loneliness returns once again. "Please come back to me", he thinks to himself._

 _Ben watches as Rey smiles at Poe before she noticed the force connection was open. Ben watches as they embrace, and he wants to tear the pilot apart for touching Rey. "Get your hands off her", he thinks to himself._

Rey then finds a memory of a man who she does not recognize. Ben has his scar, so she knows it is recent. She tries to pull the memory to the surface as Ben groans with pain. The voice inside Ben's head screams at Rey in protest this time, "Scavenger filth, you will never be good enough for the great Kylo Ren". Rey calls the force to her with a deep breath to help focus her energy. She pulls the memory as easily as she can as Ben groans louder in real life.

 _A man in dark Jedi robes is pleading with Ben, "Rey will never forgive you if you kill her friends. Don't make the same mistake as me. Don't ignore the people who love you. Rey refused to join the First Order, not you. She wants you, not the First Order. She will never quit trying to save Ben Solo. You killed Snoke to save the people you love most in the Galaxy. Rey and Leia are still waiting for you to come home. This is a path you must choose on your own. You and Rey both have a choice to make and this will shape the future of the galaxy"._

Before she can change to a new memory, Ben's mind makes the jump for her.

 _Ben is staring at Rey as she leans against the banister with the Naboo sunset behind her figure. He wants to tell her he cares for her too, and that he would follow her anywhere in the galaxy. He opens his mouth to speak, but a voice speaks up in his mind making him doubt his feelings, "she will only break your heart again…stay away from her…she is going to hold you back."_

Rey pulls out of Ben's head gently and opens her eyes. Ben has tears rolling down his face from the pain of Rey pulling memories from his head. He sobs and lowers his head to his chest. She watches him as she continues to sit on his lap afraid to move or speak.

"I bought this house after learning Leia was anonymous. She planned for us to come to Varykino because of the memories I have from when we would visit the Lake Country. This isn't a random purchase. This house belonged to Padme. I bought this house for—" Ben's voice is cut off as he cringes in pain again.

"Ben! What is it?" Rey asks concerned.

Ben begins to pull at the ropes around his torso and arms as Rey gets off Ben's lap. She watches as Ben grunts and yells as the ropes begin to creak under the pressure. Before Rey can protest, the ropes snap and fall to the ground. Ben stands up and looks at Rey with hatred in his eyes. Rey gasps as Ben calls his lightsaber to his hand and it ignites as it lands in his palm.

"Ben, no!" Rey shrieks as he takes a step forward towards her. Rey calls her own lightsaber to her hand and ignites it in response. "Please, don't do this Ben", she says as tears building the corners of her eyes.

"Ben is gone. Join me or die", Kylo Ren says to Rey darkly.

Rey stares at Kylo Ren as tears begin to stream down her face. _I have failed you Leia. Ben, please come back to me,_ she thinks to herself as sobs begin to pull at her chest. She watches as Ben steps closer ready to kill her without hesitation.

Rey hears the unknown woman's voice in her head again. _"Ben is still there. You can still save him. Show him that you will not give up on your love for him"._

Rey realizes what she must do to save Ben. She deactivates her lightsaber and stands up straight in front of Kylo Ren. She takes a deep breath calling the force to help her bring Ben back from the darkness. She nods towards Kylo as she begins walking to him in mock surrender.

Kylo deactivates his lightsaber and smiles darkly, "finally", Kylo says in return.

Rey doesn't respond. She walks until she is right in front of Kylo Ren. She looks up at him without fear as he smiles down at her in victory. "You are finally mine", he says in a dark voice.

Rey shakes her head and stares into Kylo's eyes as light begins to erupt around her body. "No, I belong to Ben Solo", she says defiantly. Kylo scowls at Rey and before he can ignite his lightsaber Rey pulls Kylo's face down and kisses him. Rey wraps her arms around his neck and deepens the kiss as the light shines brighter forcing her to close her eyes. Seconds go by and the light begins to dim lower as Rey pulls away from the kiss.

Rey stares at the man in front of her in confusion. He no longer stares angrily down at Rey, but instead he is smiling. Rey examines his face and where the long pink scar once flawed his face, now there is only flesh. The wound from earlier is healed.

"Rey, you saved me", Ben says softly.

"I don't understand. You were gone. Kylo took over completely and was trying to kill me", she says as tears begin to fall again.

"The light energy you called from the force healed my wounds. It pulled me from the darkness. Kylo Ren is gone forever", he says as he drops his lightsaber on the ground.

Rey is still in shock and just stares at Ben.

"You don't believe me, do you?", he says with a genuine smile.

She shakes her head in disbelief. "I've been fooled before", she says looking down.

"I don't ever want you to doubt me again", he says stepping closer as he places his hands on either side of her face. Rey's heart begins to beat faster as Ben looks down at Rey smiling. He stares into her eyes and her insides melt. "I love you Rey", he says quietly.

Rey's breath catches and she stares at Ben before responding. "I love you Ben", she says quietly in return. Ben scoops Rey into his arms and kisses her gently as tears continue to stream down Rey's face. Ben deepens the kiss as Rey wraps her arms around his neck and holds him in place. As they stand in the patio kissing, Rey pushes into Ben's mind telling him she wants him right now. Ben pulls away and looks at Rey with concern. _It's not too soon?_ he asks her thru the connection. She shakes her head no and pulls him into a deep kiss biting his lower lip to show how aroused she is with finally being in the strong arms of Ben Solo.

He groans with his own arousal and begins walking towards his Lake house as Rey then moves to kiss his neck, trailing kisses and bites across his jaw line. Ben pushes the front door open and walks thru the house not stopping as the Rey closes the door using the force with a swipe of her hand. Ben walks thru the living room and thru a hallway that leads to a large bedroom on the right. The door closes behind them gently as Ben lowers Rey to stand in the room. She pulls him down into a deep kiss and begins to fumble her fingers to remove his tunic. She tugs on the fabric as it slides down his arms and lands on the floor. Rey begins to work on his pants when Ben stops her with his hands. "Hey, there is no rush. We have all night", he says as he kisses her hands softly.

"I know. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. We have the rest of our lives to take it slow. I want you Ben Solo.", Rey says as she wraps her fingers in his hair.

Ben pulls away and looks at Rey when her words register with him. "You're right. We do have the rest of our lives", he says as he drops down to one knee. "Rey, will you marry me?"

"Yes", she says almost instantly. He smiles as he takes her right hand and kisses it softly. Then, he takes the ring Leia let Rey borrow off her right hand and places it on Rey's ring finger of her left hand. Rey smiles with fresh tears as she looks at Ben happily. "Are you sure your Mother is going to be okay with that?" she asks with a laugh.

"Yes, that is why she sent you here wearing the ring. I recognized it as soon you came off the shuttle. That was her wedding ring. She told me it would be mine to give to my future wife when I was ready. She wouldn't have let you wear it if she didn't feel this was right", Ben replies softly.

Rey covers her mouth in shock. "She knew all along".

"It seems she did", he says with a laugh.

Rey moves into Ben's arms as he lifts her up and she wraps her legs around his waist. _I need you Ben,_ Rey says thru their force connection. Ben doesn't hesitate as he turns and lays Rey down on the bed causing her legs to move apart as he lowers onto Rey. He trails kisses down her body as he lifts her legs up and removes each shoe and then her pants. She can feel herself getting wetter as he then trails kisses back up her legs. Ben stops when he gets between her legs. He grips the sides of her panties and pulls them off quickly. He then slowly kisses the inside of her thighs sending tingles up Rey's body in response. Rey watches as Ben then begins to kiss and lick her slit. Rey moans in approval to his movements and begins to buck his face instinctually. Ben moans in response to her movements as he continues licking faster. As Rey's pleasure builds Ben takes his fingers and begins to stroke the outside of her vagina slowly before inserting one finger. Rey gasps and moans with the feeling of his finger inside of her as he continues licking.

"Mhmm, you taste so good Rey", Ben says as he pulls his lips off her slit and begins to move his fingers faster. Rey moans and bucks at his hand wishing he wouldn't stop, but Ben then steadies her as he pulls his hand away. She groans her disapproval with him stopping as she sits up on the bed and undoes Ben's pants letting them fall to the ground. As he steps out of them, he pulls his underwear down and Rey's eyes widen at the first sight of Ben's penis. He takes her hand and places it around his member. Rey begins to move her hands up and down the shaft slowly as Ben's breathing picks up. She can feel it get harder under her hand as she continues the motion before she places the tip of his cock inside her mouth. She swirls her tongue around the tip before slowly moving her mouth down the shaft, mimicking the motions her hands were doing. Ben thrusts a little into her mouth and he groans before pulling out of her mouth. Ben pulls Rey up from the bed so he can remove her top, which falls to the ground quickly. He bends down and palms the left breast with his hand as he sucks Rey's right breast into his mouth flicking her nipple with his tongue. Rey arches her back in response to the movement and lets out soft moans as he switches to the right breast. "Mmm Ben", she moans in response.

Ben pulls away and kisses Rey as she falls back onto the bed. Ben moves onto the bed and positions himself on top of her. He moves his member against her wetness and Rey moves her hips wanting more. Ben leans down and kisses Rey as he asks her thru their connection if she is ready. She agrees silently. As they kiss, Ben slowly pushes into Rey. She gasps as the pressure builds with each inch as he moves slowly into her. Ben watches with concern as she clinches her eyes shut with pain. Before Ben can pull out to avoid more pain, Rey takes a deep breath and calls to the force to help. Almost instantly, the pressure subsides, and she looks at Ben with a smile. He smiles back and kisses her in admiration of her abilities before pushing further into her. Expecting a scream, Ben hesitates before moving further. Instead, Rey moans and wraps her legs around his waist pushing him deeper inside her using her feet on his backside. "Oh Rey", he whispers as he responds to her cue and begins to move his hips faster. Rey moans in approval as she begins to raise her hips to meet his movements. Ben bends down and kisses Rey as he palms her breasts. Rey arches her back and forces Ben's face down to her breasts as the rhythm of their hips begins to pick up in speed. With Ben inside her and sucking her nipples, Rey can feel the pleasure building until she can no longer hold on any further. "Oh Ben", she calls out bucking against Ben harder as her orgasm pulses around his cock. "Mmhm", Ben says in approval that she came first causing him to thrust harder and deeper prolonging Rey's orgasm as his own builds. Within moments, Ben moans deeper as he spills into her. Ben pulls Rey into a kiss as they continue to ride the orgasm down together.

As they finish, Ben lays down next to Rey and pulls her to fit snugly next to his body. The comforter falls on top of them as Rey uses the force to call it up from the foot of the bed. Ben kisses Rey's back and holds her closely to his body as they drift peacefully off to sleep. For the first time in their lives, they never have to feel alone.


	9. Chapter 9 - Balance

AN: Please note this chapter contains mature content. :)

* * *

Chapter 9 - Balance

Rey's eyes flutter open and her cheeks flush as she begins to remember the events from the night before. She sits up and looks around the room, noting the neutral tones and minimal décor, and immediately spots her favorite thing about the room, which is the large window to the left of the bed. The window is the size of the wall and has an uninterrupted view of the lake as if you are standing outside and not actually in a house. Rey stands up, wrapping a blanket around her torso, as she gazes outside the window for several minutes lost in the beauty of Varykino. Rey reluctantly turns away from the window looking around the room for her clothes, which are nowhere to be found.

 _Ben, where are you?_ she says to him thru their force connection.

 _The kitchen,_ he responds back.

Rey smiles and wraps the blanket tight around her torso before leaving the room and walking down the hallway. She investigates each room on the way towards the main living area and counts at least two other bedrooms and one bathroom off the main hallway. When she enters the living room, her jaw drops. The room is larger than any room she has ever seen, with high ceilings and tons of windows letting in the natural light from the sunrise. She notices a desk and a flight of stairs to her right, which means more bedrooms upstairs that she didn't know was there the night before. She moves into the kitchen, lost in the beauty of her new home, as Ben watches her with a smirk. Rey finally meets Ben's gaze and her breath catches in her chest as she takes in the sight of him leaning against the counter holding a cup of caf wearing only lounge pants that hang low on his hips. Rey's eyes trail down from Ben's face to his chest and abdomen as her arousal builds.

"Enjoying the view?" Ben says lifting his caf up and taking a sip with a hint of a smile.

"Yes, I am", Rey says before biting her lower lip.

"I was talking about the house", he says with a smirk.

"I was talking about you" Rey says with a hint of a smile.

Ben arches an eyebrow to her response as he lifts his cup back up to his lips. Rey takes advantage and walks over to Ben letting her blanket fall off from her torso as he places his cup on the counter before wrapping his arms around Rey's naked body. She grabs his mug and takes a sip looking up at Ben thru her lashes as he shakes his head at her flirting.

"What would you like for breakfast?", Ben says as he kisses her shoulder and moves to her neck. Rey places the cup down and wraps her arms around Ben's neck.

"I'm not hungry for food", she says pressing her lips to Ben's and biting his lower lip lightly before pulling away. Rey can feel Ben's member stiffen between them. She moves her hand down and caresses him over the fabric of his pants to show him exactly what she is craving.

"Hmm is that right?", Ben says in a deep voice. Rey continues to lightly stroke him as she nods slowly.

Ben moves Rey's hand away and lifts her up from her backside as she wraps her legs around his waist. Rey giggles as Ben enters their bedroom and places her on the counter next to the shower while he turns the water on letting steam build around them. Ben returns and Rey pulls him to her mouth, sliding her tongue into his as he moans and sucks her tongue gently in response. She pushes Ben's pants off his hips letting them fall to the ground before grazing the tip of his cock with her fingertips. Rey begins to slowly stroke Ben as it hardens in her hand. Rey hears Ben moan before he bends down and playfully bites her right nipple as he pinches the left between his thumb and forefinger. Rey arches her back letting her breasts fill into his hand and mouth as he moves his right hand down in between her legs where it is already wet and waiting as Ben slides his fingers in, matching the speed of her strokes on his penis. Rey moans and pulls Ben's hand in deeper as she continues to use her pump her hand. After a few seconds, Ben pulls his fingers out and Rey wants to protest, but Ben picks her up off the counter as she keeps her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, and he enters the shower holding Rey up from her backside as the hot water hits their bodies.

Ben can wait no longer. He presses Rey up against the shower wall and then inserts his waiting cock, inching deeper as Rey moans loudly in response to the fullness she feels from this angle. Ben moves deeper into her and she begins to grind her hips down on him as Ben assists her with moving up and down on his length. Their moans echo off the walls as they quicken their pace in the steamy shower. A loud moan escapes Rey and she claws at Ben's back in response to the orgasm taking over her body. Ben covers Rey's mouth with his own, muffling her moans, as he continues to thrust deeply into Rey. As the waves of her orgasm continue, Ben moans loudly and thrusts harder as he reaches his own climax, pulling Rey close to him. He holds her close to him letting the water cascade onto their bodies before lifting her off him and letting her stand next to him in the water. Rey leans into Ben's chest and he kisses her wet hair as they stand embraced in the steam and water.

"I think we need to wash up before we get into more trouble", Rey says teasingly with a smirk. She turns her body to reach the soap when Ben playfully smacks her backside with a light pop sound. She looks back and he smirks lustily at Rey before palming her ass cheek.

Rey shakes her head and begins to squeeze soap into her hands to wash her body when Ben interrupts her.

"Here, let me" Ben says as he takes some soap in his hands and begins to clean her back.

Rey obliges and as Ben washers her back she washes her hair before turning and washing Ben's back in return. As they wash each other's bodies in the shower, Rey's earlier thoughts return. _Where are my clothes?_ She thinks thru their connection.

"Our clothes are being cleaned. I have some clothes you can wear in the meantime", Ben says reading her mind.

"How do you have clothes for me? I didn't bring an extra outfit with me", she asks in a confused voice.

"I bought you clothes", he says before stepping out of the shower. He reaches out and calls towels out from the closet with the force, handing one to Rey before he begins to dry off with one of his own.

"Oh, thank you", Rey says wrapping a towel around her torso.

Ben smiles and grabs Rey by the hand and pulls her into the bedroom to a dresser sitting to the right of their bed. He pulls open three drawers on the right that hold clothing, all dark gray and black.

"These are yours", he says before moving to the drawers to the left, showing clothes in the same dark tones. "And these are mine".

"I see black and gray are your favorite colors", Rey says in a sarcastic manner.

"I bought them yesterday", Ben says with a shrug as the smile fades from his face. He moves and sits on the bed not looking at Rey as she begins to pull clothes out of one of her drawers.

Rey senses something is not right. She turns and looks at Ben and worry builds in the pit of her stomach.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"I think part of me knew we would end up together. But I think yesterday I was so focused on being Kylo and making you join me in the dark side. Now, I look at these clothes and I wonder if this is crazy? You and I being together? It just seems too good to be true, like something might go wrong at any moment. I know that we cannot just stay here forever and hide from the Resistance or the First Order. We will need to confront everyone at some point", Ben says nervously.

"I think the question you need to ask yourself is are you happy with your choice to let go of Kylo Ren and return to Ben Solo?", Rey asks sitting down next to Ben with her towel still wrapped around her. She holds her breath slightly while waiting for his answer.

"Yes, I am happy with my choice", Ben says genuinely as he takes her hand. "I fought with the darkness that lurked inside of me for years. I thought I was going to be alone forever with the First Order, but you helped me realize that it was only what Snoke wanted for me and it never truly was right. Rey, I'm worried. I can feel the dark side simmering inside of me below the surface. I'm worried that something will go wrong and then I will be Kylo Ren again. I won't ever truly be on the light side because of my past, and because of my past nobody will believe I am truly in the light", he says sadly looking away from Rey as he continues to hold her hand.

"Ben, it doesn't matter what other people think. We love each other and we are the most powerful people in the Galaxy when we are together. You are not alone. There is darkness simmering inside of me also. It's been there all along, whispering to me when I am feeling weak or alone. I'm afraid of the same things as you. I want us to live happily ever after, but I know there are a lot of factors that will pull us away from one another. The First Order, The Resistance, the entire Galaxy even, what are we going to do?", Rey asks in a serious tone.

"We will figure it out together. If we are together, we should have balance between the light and the dark", Ben says squeezing Rey's hand.

Rey nods in approval and feels content with leaving it unresolved for the moment. Rey smiles before she pushes Ben back on the bed with a small laugh to lighten the mood. Ben laughs lightly as he grabs Rey's wrist and pulls her down to him on the bed. They lay next to one another in silence thinking about the future as Rey begins to kiss Ben's neck lightly. He moans softly as Rey then begins to move down his chest, letting her towel fall open as she presses her breasts against Ben's torso. Ben closes his eyes as Rey continues to move down his chest stopping near his stomach to move back up to Ben's lips.

"Mmm, we are never going to get anything done today", he says softly to Rey.

"The galaxy can wait just a little longer. I need you Ben, right now", Rey says as presses her lips to his and slips her tongue into his mouth.

She swings her leg over and straddles Ben's waist not breaking their embrace as the kiss deepens, while Ben cups her breasts with his hands, which results in his member jumping in anticipation against Rey's backside. She smiles and bites her lip as she moves her hips in a circle, making him toss his head back into the mattress in response to her movements. Rey digs her nails into Ben's chest as she trails her fingers down towards the shaft of his cock as she sits up on her knees. She begins to stroke him, testing its hardness before she inserts the tip inside of her and then begins to slowly lower herself down onto Ben with a moan escaping her when he is deep inside of her. Ben places his hands on each of Rey's thighs as she begins to move her hips, slowly at first to feel every inch deep inside of her, and then gradually increasing her speed. Ben watches her entranced his breathing getting heavy in response to her riding him as if she was made just for him. As she slows down her speed to focus on moving deeper, Ben sits up and grasps one breast with his hand as he takes the other in his mouth, biting lightly at the nipple. Rey moans loudly as she grabs Ben's hair, holding him close to her breasts as he swirls his tongue around her nipples. Her skin tingles and her body jolts with the sensation of each bite to her nipples. She begins to quicken her pace while Ben continues to tease her breasts with his hands, tongue, and teeth, the sounds of their moans and breath is all that can be heard. Before she can slow down, her body convulses from her orgasm as she continues to ride Ben, calling out his name as her insides tense and relax in response to the waves of her climax. The feeling of her tensing around him pushes Ben over the edge. He calls out Rey's name and spills inside of her as she continues riding him faster and faster until he grabs her hips and forcing her to move slower on him. Ben covers Rey's mouth with his own as they wind down from the intensity before Ben falls back onto the bed breathing heavy. Rey matches his movement, laying on his chest before moving to lay down next to Ben as they catch their breath. After a few minutes, Rey kisses Ben lightly on his cheek and neck before Ben turns and meets her lips. He holds her face close to his, kissing her gently as he grazes his lips softly against hers, their eyes close and their breathing slows down as they open their eyes and stare lovingly into each other's eyes.

"I love you, Rey", whispers Ben.

Rey smiles before and whispering in response, "I love you, Ben".

Rey snuggles into Ben's arms for a few minutes, when she has a thought that makes her sit up and look down at Ben with wide eyes.

"Ben, I dreamt this", Rey says with a smile. "I dreamt this exact moment. In my dream, I was watching you make love to a woman. At first, I didn't know who it was, but then it turned out to be me. I remember being really upset at first and then I was happy and kind of turned on when I realized I was watching us together", she says quickly.

"When did you have this dream?", Ben asks curiously.

"Yesterday morning", Rey says.

"I had the same dream at the same time. Except at that time I thought it was a nightmare", he says shaking his head slightly at the thought.

"What? Why would you have thought it was a nightmare?" Rey asks seriously.

"I heard myself say 'I love you, Rey' and at that time it scared me. I didn't want to admit I loved you because I was still Kylo Ren. I guess we both saw the future at the same time", he says smiling at Rey who matches his smile before kissing him deeply. Rey pulls away and gets out of the bed pulling her towel around her.

"Alright, we have to get out of bed. I will get dressed to avoid tempting you again", Rey says as Ben watches Rey pull on underwear, black pants that fit tight to her skin, and a black fitted shirt.

"You look good in dark colors", he says checking out Rey's body.

Rey rolls her eyes and tosses a dark gray shirt and black pants to Ben. "Here you can wear this", Rey says tossing an outfit to Ben. He looks at it and scoffs.

"If I am going to be contacting the First Order on Holo, then I need to wear black", he says tossing the shirt back to Rey teasingly.

She turns to Ben and looks at him with a skeptical face.

"What, they have never seen me wearing anything else. It might be suspicious", Ben says shrugging his shoulders.

"Fine, you can wear black today, but tomorrow you wear gray or some other color besides black", she says tossing a new shirt to Ben.

After getting dressed, the couple leaves the room and enters the kitchen to find breakfast being brought out to the patio. Rey practically runs outside with Ben shaking his head in response. "I guess you're hungry for breakfast now, huh?" he says laughing as Rey immediately fills her plate, forgetting the etiquette lessons from Leia.

Rey sits and eats in silence as Ben eats and looks over at her every few minutes. When she has finished her second plate she sits back and looks at Ben with a content smile.

"It's really beautiful here. I just realized I don't want to go back to Bespin", Rey says placing her head on Ben's shoulder as he wraps his arm around her body. "Can't we have people meet us here to finish the negotiations?", Rey suggests to Ben.

"I have been thinking about that myself. We need to have a meeting at some point. I would rather not have the First Order know about our house though", he says in a serious tone.

Rey smiles at Ben when he says our home and kisses him on the cheek with tears in her eyes.

"What is it?", Ben says when he sees tears.

"You said our house. I have never had a home like this, or someone to share a home with, it's really nice to have that now", Rey says as a tear falls down her cheek.

Ben wipes the tear away and holds Rey closely without speaking for a minute as they sit in their patio watching the breeze move across the lake.

"Well, what if we have a Summit in Theed, the Capitol of Naboo, and ask the Queen to moderate the meeting?" Ben suggests after a few minutes.

"Do you think she would agree to that?" Rey asks in a serious tone.

"I am not sure. The Naboo have always been peaceful so maybe if we explain the goal of the Summit is for peace, then maybe she would at least consider helping. It might be hard because she doesn't really care for me", Ben says thoughtfully.

They sit in silence for another minute before Rey looks over at Ben questioningly.

"What's going to happen to the First Order and the Supreme Leader?", Rey asks.

"I am not going to be Supreme Leader. I am not sure what will happen next, but I don't want to be Supreme Leader", Ben says deep in thought.

"Well, something will need to be discussed further about the First Order. The Resistance is a small group and can easily disappear if needed. The First Order has a giant fleet and they are looking to you for leadership right now", Rey says watching the lake deep in thought.

"I know. I have no idea where to start though", Ben says with a sigh.

"We should contact Leia and invite her here first, that way we can discuss a plan. She has been in this situation in the past so maybe she could help us further", Rey says.

"I think that is our best plan. We can arrange for the blockade to be removed and have Leia meet us here", Ben says.

"Alright. I can contact Leia. Who else should be invited from the Resistance?" Rey asks.

"I'm hesitant to do this, only because I know they will want to kill me, but we can invite the entire Resistance group, so they don't feel trapped on Bespin. They do not need to hide anymore and whoever would like to come to Naboo may do so. The rest may stay on Bespin or leave and go their own way. I will make sure the blockade is ordered to leave the system right away", Ben replies.

"What about the First Order? You cannot have the entire fleet here", Rey says as she shrugs her shoulders.

"I will invite General Peavey and Captain Mitaka. They are loyal to me despite their new promotions. I will also invite a few other leaders from the other ships so that we have transparency, but I agree not every Storm Trooper needs to be here. It would look weird and it's not necessary", Ben says as he stands up from the table.

"Your mother is going to be so happy", Rey says smiling.

"I hope so. I want her to be happy. I noticed in your memory how weak she looks. It's time she had peace", Ben says.

"I agree", Rey says taking a deep breath.

"Let's call her first. Then I will order the blockade to be removed", Ben says holding out his hand.

"Alright", she says grabbing his hand.

The couple walks inside the house and into the living room to a large desk sitting in the corner of the room near the stairs. Rey sits down at the desk and moves to punch in numbers to reach Leia via HoloNet. Before Rey begins to enter the code, she looks over at Ben pacing with his hands relaxed and thoughts busy working out different scenarios. Ben looks over at Rey, giving her a thin smile, and Rey enters his mind for a second to reassure him it will be okay. He smiles and nods to the holo before returning to his pacing. Rey sighs and punches the numbers into the holo. She flattens out her hair with her hands before the Holo connects to Leia. When she sees Leia, Rey smiles and Leia breathes a sigh of relief as Lando looks around the room behind Rey thru the Holo with narrowed eyes.

"Good morning", Rey says cheerfully.

"Thank the force, Rey, is everything okay? We were getting worried when we didn't hear from you last night. What happened? Where is Ben?" Leia asks quickly.

"I am sorry I didn't contact you sooner. Everything went well for the most part. There was a situation last night, but it was handled without any major issues. I have some news for you", Rey says with a smile.

 _I think a concussion is a major issue,_ Ben says sarcastically thru their connection, which makes Rey roll her eyes in response.

"Are you hurt? Where is Ben?", Lando interrupts before Rey can continue. Leia nudges Lando at the interruption, but then looks at Rey waiting for a response to the questions.

"No, I am not hurt. Ben is…" Rey's voice trails off as she looks over towards Ben pacing near the kitchen.

A _re you ready to speak with your mother?_ she asks thru the connection.

Ben shakes his head. _Not yet, tell her what happened first_ , he says back into her head.

Rey turns back and smiles thinly at Leia and Lando who are both watching Rey closely.

"Rey? What happened?" Leia asks in a serious tone.

"I met with Ben and we discussed a lot of different things. At first, it didn't go exactly as planned. We ended up fighting and he got knocked out. But, after talking some more and him almost killing me, Ben Solo has returned. We discussed the future and we had an idea to hold a Summit in Theed with the Queen of Naboo as the moderator between the Resistance and the First Order to discuss bringing an end to the war", Rey says cheerfully.

Leia and Lando are quiet for a moment. Rey's heartbeat begins to pick up as Ben stops pacing to wait for their response.

"It's a trap, Leia. Kylo has imprisoned her and is telling her what to say to make us leave", Lando whispers to Leia but Rey and Ben can hear him clearly thru the holo.

 _See Rey, they will never believe that we are in love,_ Ben says with a sneer as he clenches his fists and begins pacing in the living room.

 _They don't know that yet. Please calm down,_ Rey says back soothingly as she looks at Leia with a small smile.

"Rey, are you sure you're okay? Is this meeting something that you want to happen?" Leia asks softly not looking away from Rey.

"Yes, Leia. I suggested a meeting here on Naboo. But it was Ben's idea to hold a Summit in Theed with the Queen", Rey replies as hair moves into her face. She reaches up with her left hand and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear mindlessly as Leia watches her closely.

Leia gasps and covers her mouth in surprise, which makes Rey jump and look around the room and at the Holo expecting something to have happened. Ben stops pacing as he watches Rey adjust her hair nervously and he realizes the cause of the gasp.

"What is it Leia?" Rey asks with concern. Leia doesn't answer at first and Rey looks to Ben in alarm.

 _Rey, she knows. She saw your hand,_ Ben says to Rey silently.

"Where is Ben?" Leia asks removing her hand from her mouth.

Rey smiles and nods. "He is right here", she says shyly.

Rey gives Ben a pointed look, _you need to come and speak with your mother. This is something you need to tell her,_ she tells him thru their connection.

Ben nods and moves towards the Holo.

"Ben, I know you can hear me. It is time for us to talk", Leia says loudly.

Rey stands up and moves to Ben. _It will be okay. It's time you and Leia talked,_ Rey says silently as she kisses Ben softly on the lips.

Ben takes a deep breath and moves to the chair. He runs his hand thru his hair nervously before sitting down in front of the Holo meeting his Mother's gaze for the first time since he was left at the Jedi Training Academy.

"Hi Mom", Ben says softly.

Leia smiles at her son and they exchange a glance in silence.

"Are you kidding me, Ben? That is how you greet Leia after everything you have put her thru?", Lando says to Ben accusingly thru the Holo.

"Lando, calm down", Leia says loudly as she pushes him away from the holo. She looks at Ben's face with tears falling down her cheeks. "I saw Rey's hand, is it true?", she asks Ben.

"Yes. It is true. It's a long and pretty exciting story, but yes, it's true", Ben says with a genuine smile. "Lando, I am not keeping Rey as my prisoner and the meeting is not a trap".

Leia nods and Lando moves back into the Holo.

"Mom, I love Rey. You sent her here to bring me home, and she succeeded. We are engaged", Ben says proudly as he motions for Rey to come to the seat and sit next to him. Rey obliges and joins him at the desk as Ben wraps his arm around Rey.

"You could have just said that from the beginning", Lando says sarcastically.

Leia nudges him again before looking back at her son and future daughter-in-law with a smile.

"Leia, we need you and Lando to come here for this Summit. There will be a few First Order leaders here with us and we will discuss the end of the war with the Queen of Naboo", Rey says taking over the conversation.

"Have you spoken to the Queen yet?", Leia asks the couple.

"Not yet, she and I had a discussion yesterday and we may have had a hiccup since I wasn't exactly the nicest person. I was wondering if you could help with the discussion?", Ben asks Leia.

"I would love to help. But we cannot come there with your blockade still around Bespin", she says with a shake of her head at Ben.

"I know. I am getting ready to take care of that. We contacted you first so you could prepare your transport and leave as soon as the blockade was gone. I need you here before the First Order. Mom, I need your help when we talk to the Queen", Ben replies back.

"I never thought I would hear you say you needed my help again", she says with more tears falling from her eyes.

"I know Mom. I am sorry. We can talk about it more when you get here. The entire Resistance is invited to Naboo, but I understand there may be some who refuse to come here because of what I did in the past. Those who would like to remain behind, can do so without fear of being hunted by the First Order. The goal of the meeting on Naboo is for peace. Lando, do you have another shuttle available for the trip to Naboo?" Ben asks.

"Oh yeah, you don't have to worry about us", Lando says with a grin.

"Alright. I will contact the First Order fleet and dissolve the blockade next. I am hoping to get this meeting started tomorrow, so we should have time to arrange this meeting with the Queen when you get here. You both are welcome to come and stay at our house", Ben says nervously to the holo as Rey smiles at Ben in surprise.

Leia perks up and looks at Ben. "What do you mean 'our house'? she asks.

Ben smiles and looks down at Rey as his eyes begin to tear up with the news he is about to share with Leia.

"I bought the old Lake house yesterday", Ben says with a smile as a tear rolls down his cheek.

"I knew you were still with us. I knew it. Rey, you did it. Ben you are home", Leia says as a sob pulls at her chest.

"Yes, I am, thanks to Rey. We will see you soon", Ben says to his Mother thru the holo.

"We will see you soon", Lando and Leia say back to the holo before it cuts off.

Rey looks at Ben and smiles as she wipes the tear away from his face.

"See, it will be okay. Lando was worried but he came around quickly", Rey says with a shrug.

"I wasn't worried so much about Lando", Ben says thoughtfully.

"Well, your Mother seemed happy", Rey says without confirming who Ben is talking about. She knows Finn and Poe are going to be tougher to win over when they arrive.

"I wish I could do more for her", Ben says sitting back in his chair. Then he sits up with an idea. "What if I bought her a house on Naboo as well?", Ben says with a smile.

"I think she would love that, but one thing at a time. Let's get the First Order contacted and get this Summit planning underway", Rey says making Ben's smile fall.

"Alright. You may not want to be sitting with me for this next part", Ben says.

Rey nods and gets up. "I will be right here", she says as she moves to stand out of view of the Holo.

Ben takes a second to adjust himself before hailing the First Order. He sighs as the holo clicks on and General Peavey comes into view.

"Supreme Leader, we were starting to get worried", General Peavey says to Ben.

"General Peavey, I have some news from the negotiations. Is Captain Mitaka with you?" Ben asks in his deep voice.

"Yes, we have been standing by for your orders, Sir", Mitaka says as he steps into view of the Holo.

"Very good. I have a new order for you. The blockade on Naboo is no longer needed. I am ordering the fleet to return to their normal patrols and wait for further instructions. General, please contact Captain Jones and Captain Lee to join you on the Finalizer II and I would like you to come to the Naboo system and await further orders.

"I'm sorry Sir, please confirm you would like us to remove the blockade?" General Peavey asks with a surprised tone.

"General Peavey, I do not think I need to repeat my orders. But, yes remove the blockade around Bespin. Captain Jones and Lee will join you on the Finalizer II. The fleet may return to their normal patrols until I provide further orders. The Finalizer II will come to Naboo where you will await further orders from me", Ben says impatiently.

"Yes, Sir", General Peavey replies.

"Sir forgive me. I am confused on what is going on here. Isn't the Resistance on Bespin? Why are we going to Naboo?", Mitaka asks nervously.

Ben looks at Mitaka thru the Holo and is unsure of how to respond.

 _Tell them the negotiations have gone well and you have arranged for a special meeting with Resistance leaders on Naboo,_ Rey says to Ben thru the connection.

"If you must know, the negotiations have gone well. The Resistance will be joining us on Naboo for the final negotiations. I have confirmed they have no weapons and will join us on Naboo without question", Ben says to Mitaka.

"Very good Sir", Captain Peavey says happily. Mitaka is not satisfied with the response.

"Mitaka?", Ben asks seeing the younger man's confusion.

"I don't think we should leave the Bespin system. Maybe it's better if we stay here and keep the blockade so that only one shuttle leaves to meet on Naboo", Mitaka says looking closer to the Holo.

Ben says nothing as Mitaka watches Ben closely for a reaction.

"Are you alright Supreme Leader? You seem different", Mitaka asks looking closer into the Holo at Ben.

Ben's fist clench in his lap as his anger begins to simmer under the surface. He begins to breathe deeply to control his anger. However, he suddenly feels a surge of power as Rey pushes into his head, her voice colder, _show them how powerful you can be when they question your authority. Use my power and your strength to show him how powerful you can be even when you are systems away,_ she sneers thru the connection.

Ben raises his arm towards the Holo with fingers outstretched letting Rey's power flow thru him and thru the holo as if he could touch Mitaka in person if he wanted. Within moments, Mitaka brings his hands up to his neck as if he were choking. "Captain Mitaka, my patience is wearing thin", Ben says gritting his teeth. He holds the man thru the force momentarily to make his point, but at this distance Rey and Ben begin to tire very easily from the effort of the force choke. Ben lets go and lowers his hand as Mitaka begins to gasp for air, rubbing his neck in response to the surprise attack.

"Do not question me again. You have your orders", Ben says to the pair.

"Yes, Sir", General Peavey says as Mitaka nods his understanding.

Ben clicks off the Holo without saying another word and immediately moves over to Rey.

"Are you alright?", Ben asks. Before he reaches Rey, he notices something is wrong. She is turned away from Ben, avoiding him with her arms crossed and slouched posture.

"I'm fine", Rey says gritting her teeth.

Rey is struggling to recover as the raw power from the dark side of the Force continues to move thru her veins. She feels the pull stronger than ever to join the darkness and let it consumer her fully. The power is intoxicating. She knows if she gives in to its power, she will be unstoppable, feared by everyone, and she could lead the Galaxy successfully. Rey continues to struggle against the darkness. Why should she fight it anymore? She was alone for so many years. She has no family. She is nobody. The darkness whispers to her that she is special, and she won't be alone if she succumbs to the darkness. Rey tries to remember Ben is her family now. She is not alone. But the darkness fills her head with doubt, ' _nobody will believe you are together. Why would he want you?',_ a voice says into her ear.

Ben walks over to Rey and places his hand on her back. She pushes him away and is silent as her posture straightens and she uncrosses her arms. She doesn't turn around to look at Ben.

"Look at me", Ben says loudly.

Rey turns around and Ben's blood runs cold when he looks at his fiancé's face. Rey's eyes are pitch black. She stares back at Ben angrily as Ben steps closer wanting to pull Rey closer to him. Ben enters her mind and gasps in response to the feelings of anger and hatred that Rey is projecting at Ben. Where once she felt love and compassion, he feels thirst for power and indifference. Ben's heartbeat quickens and he steps back in fear.

"You should be afraid, Ben Solo. I will do what you were too weak to do, rule the Galaxy".


End file.
